Island of Hope
by arwenraven
Summary: AU Third year and afterwards. Sirius wises up to what is going on at the Dursleys and sets out to get his freedom and custody of Harry. Manipulative but not evil Dumbledore, father/son bonding Sirius adopts Harry .
1. Prologue

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Prologue**

Sirius was hard pressed to prevent himself from laughing aloud as the wind rushed past his face and he felt the strong beat of the hippogriff's wings carrying him higher and towards safety. He had been schooling himself to face the dementor's kiss, consoling himself with the fact that at least his godson, his precious godson knew the truth along with Moony. Needless to say that crumb of comfort had been slight. And then said godson had appeared outside the window, with his friend, Hermione he thought her name was and minutes before he was due to have his soul sucked out they had rescued him and given him his freedom.

A wide smile broke out across his face, he had escaped, his godson knew his innocence and the future was certainly looking brighter, even though that damned rat had escaped. A scowl briefly contorted his features, but they soon relaxed as he thought of his saviour, Harry. His breath had almost deserted him when he had first caught sight of the boy back in Magnolia Crescent, for a moment he had thought he had seen James but when Harry turned to look at him the emerald of his eyes had almost given him a heart attack. He hadn't seen those eyes for nearly twelve years and seeing them widen in fear was almost more than he could bear. The urge to transform and go and comfort Harry had been almost overwhelming, in fact Sirius knew that if the Knight Bus hadn't arrived he would have.

Belatedly he realised he had no idea where he was. There was no point in having escaped from the Ministry yet again only to be captured as soon as he landed. He owed Harry more than that. With a growl Sirius jerked his thoughts from his godson, thinking about him would only distract him and he would make a mistake, something he could not afford to do, the last mistake he made had landed him in Azkaban for twelve years. This time he would do better. He had to.

Snapping himself back into focus Sirius racked his brains for somewhere he could travel to safely, that could hide a hippogriff, where the Ministry would be unable to find him and somewhere within seven hours flight from his current position. And that was where? Biting back a grimace Sirius scoured the sky, luckily for him the sky was clear and the hours of astronomy he had been forced to endure both at Hogwarts and his family 'home' gave him enough information for him to discover roughly where he was. He was currently somewhere over the highlands of Scotland and was heading north. That settled he needed to think of somewhere he could hide and quickly.

Mentally he flicked through the conditions, it must have room for Buckbeak and it either had to be so isolated the Ministry would never look for him there or it had to be warded so tightly that the Ministry could bang themselves against it for a thousand years and still have a better chance of getting into hell and back. Scouring his memory he was almost growling frustration when a thought struck him. His uncle Alphard had been the most paranoid old codger ever to walk the Earth. Sirius snorted, his uncle's levels of paranoia had been higher than Mad Eye Moody's and that was saying something. And furthermore Sirius had been one of his favourites and when the man had died he had left everything he had to Sirius, including a small island in the Orkney's. The island was unplottable, under the Fidelus and was surrounded by legions of wards many of which were done in blood so only the Black who owned the property and those he granted access to could enter, not to mention the island also contained a nice house which would have features such as beds and showers.

Sirius felt a grin spread across his face, he had somewhere safe to go where the Ministry would never find him. He could plan his next moves in the tomorrow, but tonight he would reach safety and not waste the precious gift his godson had given him. Letting his mind dwell on the myriad of pleasant memories Azkaban had deprived him of Sirius and Buckbeak headed to the north and safety.

That's the prologue done, chapter 1 should be up soon, I just wanted to get the story up and running. Review if you have time, thanks. See ya next time.


	2. Realisations

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 1 – Realisations**

Sirius felt immensely better the following day. He had reached the island a little past 3am, ensured the wards were keyed to him only, now they would only allow himself, Remus and Harry access and rebound the house-elf, thankfully Nixie was sensible unlike his parent's old house-elf which sometimes seemed worse than his mother and that was saying something. Nixie had been overjoyed to have a Master she could serve once again and had taken a large amount of persuasion to stop her from marching him upstairs and forcefully putting him to bed. Still the nervous energy that had sustained him throughout the flight had burned itself out soon after and he had only just managed to stagger upstairs and collapse onto a bed still fully clothed, his exhaustion so complete he even slept free of nightmares.

The afternoon found him sitting in the (now spotlessly clean) study and staring out the window absorbed in his thoughts. He had risen just after noon and a shower, a change of clothes (thankfully his uncle's robes were not too large) and a solid meal had done wonders for him and he now felt human once more. As he stared out across the ground his thoughts turned to his godson. The previous night had been a whirlwind of emotion but still something felt off, he frowned slightly as he skimmed through the memory once more. There. It was something he had asked Harry and it was the reply that was sending feelings of unease through him.

"_if you wanted a ... a different home...'_

"_Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?" JK Rowling Prisoner of Azkaban_

Sirius doubted that Harry could remember when he had played with him as a baby, so to Harry's mind they had only met about an hour previously and Harry had only known about his innocence for about half an hour yet here he was agreeing to live with a man he hardly knew and he appeared genuinely happy and eager to do so. Sure, Harry knew that Sirius was his godfather and hopefully he had seen that Sirius cared for him but still it was a little disconcerting. Worry began to bubble within him, what had happened to Harry to make him so eager to accept the invitation?

Worry filling his clear grey eyes Sirius began scanning his memory in earnest searching for anything and everything relating to his godson. Harry was short, both his parents had been taller than him at his age and when he had thrown him out the way even in the midst of his fear he had registered that Harry was thin, too thin, even with his school robes on and in the brief contact he had been able to feel his ribs. That wasn't normal, it wasn't right. And most importantly of all he could remember when he had first set eyes on his godson. At the time he had thought nothing of what Harry was doing, he had been more concerned with Harry himself but now he thought back on it the worry increased tenfold. Harry had been on a deserted street at night with his trunk fully packed, Sirius could remember another almost identical set of circumstances when he was sixteen but that time he had know where he was going, Harry had just looked lost. There was no doubt about it, Harry was running away but was not running to anywhere, he was just escaping. Putting all the pieces together Sirius could see where this was leading and he didn't like it one bit.

It had taken a lot to force him out of the door and from what he had seen of his godson Harry was definitely brave. Therefore something must be seriously wrong to force him to take that step, particularly with a 'dangerous' escaped convict on the loose. A little titbit of information was niggling in the back of his mind, "Dursley," where had he heard that name before? Suddenly the answer hit him in the face, Petunia Dursley, Lily's sister, the one who had abhorred all magic and her husband was if anything even worse.

The truth hit him like a wave and he almost felt sick. His godson, his precious, precious Harry had been abused by the filth he called relatives. They must have starved him, or at least not fed him enough, Sirius didn't like to think what else they had done to make him so eager to escape. His thoughts drifted to his own childhood and the event that had finally forced him to leave, he could remember the curse far too clearly and the pain he had felt as his own parents had put him under the Cruciatus. That thought brought him up short. Those people, those animals hadn't hit him had they; they hadn't dared to raise a hand to strike his pup? Sirius was on his feet, a roar of fury exiting his throat as he recognised the very real possibility that his Harry had been beaten by his relatives.

Tears began pooling in his eyes. He had failed James and Lily, when he had suggested they swap secret keepers. He had failed them again when he had pursued the rat instead of taking Harry and caring for him like he had promised he would when he became godfather. But most of all he had failed Harry. He had got himself thrown in Azkaban and condemned him to an abusive childhood at the hands of his Aunt and Uncle. Tears began to fall thick and fast as he murmured, "I sorry pup, I'm so, so sorry."

Gradually Sirius pulled himself together even though it felt like an icy hand had clamped itself around his heart. He had failed Harry for the last twelve years and he was not going to fail him now. He knew he was the named guardian but as a convict there was no way he could take care of Harry legally and if he tried to without clearing his name he would be kidnapping his godson. Whilst that solution appealed to him however Sirius knew that if he tried to do that the moment Harry had to return to Hogwarts the game would be up and he was not prepared to lock his godson up just because he wanted to take care of him. No he had to do it legally and that meant proving his innocence.

Sirius sighed, that would be almost impossible without the rat. No, he mentally chided himself, think Sirius, for once in your life think, there has to be a way to prove your innocence. You have to, for Harry. The thought of the abuse his godson must be suffering at the hands of his relatives gave Sirius a new sense of determination. He would find a way because he had to. He was not going to fail Harry a second time.

Sirius closed his eyes as his agile mind began to flip through potential ideas. Although he often hid it, both him and James Potter had been in the top five students in the year, behind Remus and Lily of course and when he decided to think he would often come to the right solution.

Dumbledore came to mind almost immediately. As the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot he would be able to call for a trial and get him acquitted. The idea was gaining momentum in his mind, in fact he was on the verge of sending a letter to request that exact action when another thought occurred to him. Dumbledore had been the Chief Warlock during the war yet he had not pressed for a trial for Sirius even though he ensured Death Eaters such as Snape got a trial. And the previous night, although he had believed Sirius's story he had not put him under his protection as he could due to his position or ordered that Sirius was to be tried before he was subjected to the Dementor's Kiss. He hadn't helped him. It was almost as if he didn't want Sirius in the picture but there was no reason for that unless, oh.

Realisation swept through him. Harry. It had been on Dumbledore's orders Harry had been taken to the Dursley's even though Sirius was not in Azkaban at that point and Sirius knew James and Lily had gone into hiding due to a prophecy concerning Harry and Voldemort. Dumbledore did not believe that Voldemort was dead so it made sense that he was keeping the boy in a position he could influence him, for the Greater Good. After all if it took one child's unhappiness and one innocent man locked up in Azkaban to save hundreds of lives, it would be for the Greater Good that those two suffered. Sirius also knew there was probably another aspect, he could see the man cared for Harry and after all Petunia was a blood relative, there was the fairly likely possibility that the house there had blood wards that kept Harry safe from Voldemort. But not, he thought as he clenched his fists, from those monsters of relatives.

Letting out his breath explosively Sirius leaned back into his chair, dropping the quill to the desk. He couldn't trust Dumbledore, but that had been his best idea. Frustrated he dropped the quill to the floor and dragged his hand through his messy hair. He was out of sensible ideas but there was one person who might be able to help. With the fiasco last night he would bet hundreds of galleons that Remus had resigned. With a small smile beginning to slip across his features he reached for the quill and began to pen a letter to Moony.

Chapter 1 done, sorry there's not much action so far, it gets better I promise. Review if possible. Chapter 2 up in the next few days or week.


	3. Moony and a Plan of Action

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 2 - Moony and a Plan of Action**

Remus grimaced as he opened the door of his tiny apartment. It had been a wonderful and crazy year at Hogwarts, teaching Harry, getting to know him and then discovering that Sirius Black, friend, marauder and Padfoot had not betrayed his James and Lily but that crime had been done by a certain Peter Pettigrew which he had believed dead for the last twelve years. Remus allowed himself a wry grin despite the fact the betrayal tore at his heart, a crazy year indeed. And then of course his lycanthropy had to make itself known. He knew it was his fault, if he had only taken his potion. Firmly he stopped the thought there. Over the years he knew his lycanthropy would forever hamper him and even though he had been stupid to forget the potion he would not have been able to teach another year. Enough people would have guessed. But it didn't mean he didn't regret it. If only he had taken the potion then the rat wouldn't have escaped, Sirius would be free and he wouldn't have put Harry and his friends in danger. That to his mind was his most inexcusable crime and his complete and utter fault. If he had bitten any one of them he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself, as it was it had been far to close.

The tapping of a claw against the window snapped him out of his musings. He glanced up to see a large black owl standing imperiously on the window sill a letter attached to a single leg. The window protested loudly as he forced it open wide enough to take the letter. "Sorry, I've no treats for you," he said quietly as he gently removed the letter. The owl merely regarded him for a second before giving a resigned hooted and flying off, almost as if it hadn't expected on anyway.

Slightly confused Remus flipped the letter over just to confirm it was his. He hadn't been expecting any post, he had only resigned yesterday after all. His breath caught in his throat as he recognised the scrawl,

_Moony,_

_First things first, as you have no doubt already guessed I am safe, those morons will never find me. I'm writing to the pup as well so don't be surprised if you receive post from him as well. Now secondly I've got a bit of a problem regarding myself, the pup and a certain chessmaster Dumbledore not to mention those idiots of a ministry. I need to speak to you as soon as possible._

_Next if I know you Moony you will have blamed yourself for forgetting the potion and you will have resigned, not to mention you will be stewing yourself over might-have-been's. STOP IT NOW. You're only human, you make mistakes and nothing happened. I know I sound mature but I have finally decided to grow up (I can't believe it either). I don't blame you and I bet Harry doesn't either. _

_Now remember what the Marauder's swore._

_Padfoot_

By the time he had finished reading the letter Remus had a smile on his face. Sirius didn't blame him and he knew Harry didn't either. Although he still knew it was his fault it relieved him greatly to know that Sirius hadn't paid the price for the escape and didn't blame him either. The last line caught his attention again. Withdrawing his wand he tapped the parchment, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." With a flourish lines of script appeared beneath the rest of the letter.

_I know you are still blaming yourself so again, STOP IT. If you must blame anyone blame Greyback. IT. WASN'T. YOUR. FAULT._

_Now Padfoot can be found at Padfoot's Den, Black Island 59.24__o__N , 3.12__o__W_

_I expect you at 11am on the 14__th__ June. Burn this once you've memorised it. Don't apparate; fly from Kirkwall _

_Padfoot_

Remus grinned to himself, he had nothing to do the next day anyway and he might as well visit Sirius. Job hunting in the muggle world could wait another couple of days. He'd find something. He always did. Eventually.

* * *

Sirius was enjoying his breakfast, Nixie was absolutely delighted to serve him and insisted strongly that, "Master Black sir must eat properly, he must. Master Black is skin and bones." But even as he was gradually getting used to the idea of good food again his thoughts kept returning to his godson. He had two and a half weeks before the summer term finished and if he had his way Harry would never again have to return to them which meant he had two and a half weeks to try and find a solution. Even with Moony it would be a long shot. Speaking of Moony... Sirius felt the wards twinge indicating somebody had just crossed them. From the sensation he knew they were on the access list so there was only two people it could be and out of them only one knew where he was.

A sharp rap on the door pulled him away from his food; swiftly he was standing at the door as he opened it to reveal Remus. "Quite a place you've got here Padfoot," he remarked as he entered. Sirius shrugged,

"It belonged to my uncle, I was lucky enough to inherit it. He was the most paranoid old geezer in existence, something I am doubly thankful for now." Remus nodded slightly still a little unnerved by the serious side his friend was showing.

Soon the two friends were lounging in the sitting room both nursing mugs of coffee. "So what was this problem with the cub Sirius?" He asked. Sirius leant back and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Moony, when you were teaching him did you notice anything, shall we say odd?" Remus glanced at him slightly nonplussed by the question, "Meaning?"

Sirius waved his hand in the air carelessly, "Something different about him, different from the other children say?" Remus steepled his fingers considering,

"Well he was definitely thin, fairly shy, much shyer than I expected considering he was James's son, not arrogant at all. He didn't have a clue who I was despite the fact I've been sending him presents for the last twelve years and he seemed to know very little about either of his parents. And in the extra lessons he was, I suppose the best way to describe it would be wary, as if he was preparing to bolt or..." Remus trailed off. "No it can't be, it's not possible," he shook his head continuing to deny it.

"Remus," Sirius's voice had a hint of a warning in it. When he received no answer the animagus growled, "Moony what is it?"

Slowly he raised incredulous fearful eyes to Sirius, "He'd flinch if I got too close, as if, as if," he sucked in a deep breath, "As if he was expecting to get hit." Sirius grimaced as his worse suspicions were confirmed. "You think he's..."

"Abused, yes" Sirius answered. Remus growled low in his throat, sounding like the wolf he was once a month and his eyes began to take on an amber cast as the wolf rose to the surface. The wolf inside him viewed Harry as a cub of the pack and as such his cub and nobody hurt the cub. Thoughts of turning up at the Dursley's on a full moon began to drift round his mind, so he could hurt those who hurt his cub.

"Remus, Remus," Gradually he became aware Sirius was calling his name, "I know Moony is taking control but it won't help if you go feral on the Dursley's, even if those bastards deserve it. We actually need to think." The last sentence more than anything got through to Remus, Sirius Black the marauder's resident hothead was advocating thinking through a solution! Gritting his teeth he pushed the wolf back down, "What were you thinking then Padfoot?"

"I've legally got custody, named guardian and whatnot, but only if I'm free. As soon as I'm free I can take the pup but the problem is I've got to get my freedom and that means proving my innocence, something that's going to be harder without the rat."

"So you need my help to prove your innocence." It was a statement not a question.

"Yes, come on Moony, we need a plan of action," his expression turned grim, "The last time I did something without a plan I ended up in Azkaban and that had dire consequences." Sirius's eyes were haunted as he stared out not seeing anything, Azkaban was hell on earth, but now with the knowledge Harry was suffering when he could have prevented it... Sirius shook himself hard. He was doing everything he could to rectify his mistake and he would rectify it. Remus had been watching his friend warily and was relieved to see the haunted look fade somewhat and a glint of determination enter in its place.

"The main problem I've got with that is that I can't trust Dumbledore in these circumstances," he held up one hand to forestall his friend's protestations, "He had twelve years to get me a trial Moony, everyone deserves a trial and second chance, apart from me it seems. And then he didn't put me under his protection even when he knew I was innocent, he left me to face the Kiss." His expression was stony, "If it hadn't been for Harry, I wouldn't be sitting here right now."

A thundercloud was building in Remus's face, "He told me he helped you escape." Sirius snorted loudly,

"I'm sure it has something to do with his Greater Good but I won't risk the pup or my life for his Greater Good Moony," Remus nodded slowly. He looked up to Dumbledore, how could he not? The man had given him the opportunity to go to Hogwarts despite his condition and that had been one of the best things that had ever happened to him, but Sirius was right Dumbledore often worked on plans for his Greater Good and he like Sirius would not risk Harry. He was too important to both of them to compromise.

He leaned back considering, without Dumbledore it certainly would be a lot harder. Suddenly a thought came from him, "Sirius you are head of the Black family right?" Sirius made a face but he nodded. "Doesn't the Black family have rather large resources at its disposal?" Again Sirius nodded, "So wouldn't it be a good idea to get an overview of what is there before we start making plans, who knows, there might be something that can help us." Sirius let out a bark like laugh,

"I knew there was a reason you were the brains of the Marauders Moony. I'll send a note to the account manager to get an overview of all finances." His grin was rather feral, "Goblins don't care what a wizard has done as long as they can make a profit."

Within a few minutes Nixie had vanished to Gringotts and Sirius turned towards his friend, "I'm going to need your help Moony."

* * *

And chapter 2 is done. Chapter 3 should be along shortly


	4. Discoveries

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 3 – Discoveries**

Sirius threw down a pile of papers with a muttered oath, he hadn't realised quite how many pies the Blacks had their fingers in. Sure he was one of the richest wizards in Britain but billions of galleons were not much help when he was stuck on Black Island, and neither was the fact he had a controlling interest in the potions business in Britain. The only useful fact was that he owned nearly 60% of the Prophet; that could be used to his advantage later but wouldn't help much with his current predicament.

With a sigh he picked up another pile, this one concerning the various debts that were owed to the Black family, perhaps there would be something more useful here. He wasn't holding out much hope but he swore to himself they would find a solution eventually, failure was not an option if he was to rescue Harry, his godson whom he had regarded as virtually his own child ever since he had first held him.

He tapped a quill against the desk as his eyes perused the document, slowly the tapping stopped, then started again as he stared at the parchment sheet in front of him. "Moony, who would you say has that idiot Fudge in their pocket?" Remus glanced up from his own pile of parchment,

"Probably Lucius Malfoy, why do you ask?" Sirius didn't reply, he just beckoned Remus over and gestured to the wording in front of him,

_Debts Malfoy Family 800,000,000 Galleons 364,000 Galleons 4,500,000 Galleons Interest Outstanding 2,789,523 Galleons_

_Total Owed 807653523 Galleons_

Remus whistled. "That is a lot, I imagine if you decided to call that in you would bankrupt him or at the very least remove virtually all his holdings, who knows he might even have to sell his precious manor."

A slow grin spread across Sirius's face, reminding Remus of a shark when there was blood in the water, "So you could say I have dear old Lucius in my pocket then. He would have to do whatever I told him or face me calling in the loan, not to mention I could annul his marriage making his heir a bastard and as such unable to inherit." A grin just as evil lit up Remus's face.

"It would be the ultimate prank, get the Death Eater that escaped Azkaban to clear one of his stanch opponents."

"That might actually work Sirius, with Fudge in Malfoy's pocket we could force him to get a review of your case, maybe dropping the actual work to a trustworthy member of the Ministry, say Amelia Bones, and we know a thorough investigation, actually interviewing those who saw Pettigrew would have no choice but to clear you, especially with Malfoy and by extension Fudge behind it."

Sirius laughed, "I'll send Malfoy a letter threatening to call in the debt, faced with losing all his money and as such his political influence he will do whatever I want." He frowned thoughtfully, "I suppose I ought to add a time provision as well, give him say 1 month to have an investigation nearing completion."

The two men exchanged grins, "Why don't you write that letter Sirius?"

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was currently enjoying a glass of vintage wine. Ever since he had bribed his way out of trouble (after all the Imperius defence was a complete lie, you had to take the mark willingly) after the Dark Lord had fallen he had greatly enjoyed the benefits of his wealth and the considerable political influence it gave him, he was virtually controlling the government, without having to bother with the tedium that the actual Minister had to deal with. He had to admit though the Minister was a complete incompetent, they had let Black slip away again, of course he knew Black was innocent, it was rather amusing thinking about the time he had spent in Azkaban. It would be even more amusing when he finally got the Kiss, although it was a pity such an illustrious pureblood line had been reduced to a single blood traitor as heir.

A majestic eagle owl soared through the open window and presented a single scroll to the Head of the Malfoy Family. With barely concealed impatience Lucius freed the letter, he had specifically told Fudge he was not to be bothered by the Ministry today. He had not made generous 'donations' to St Mungo's to buy favour only to be pestered by owls.

He placed the letter on the desk, he would not give the Minister his time today but something caught his eye. Turning his head his gaze raked across the letter again and he soon noticed what was different, instead of the usual Ministry Seal this letter was affixed with the Crest of House Black. Quickly he placed the glass to one side, a sense of foreboding bubbled up inside him, he suddenly had a strong feeling that whatever this letter contained it would not be good for the Head of the Malfoy Family. Practiced fingers slit the letter open.

_Head of the Malfoy Family_

_It has come to the attention of the House of Black that the House of Malfoy has debts outstanding of the value of 807653523 Galleons._

_The House of Black has decided such debts are unacceptable for a prominent pureblood line and as such will call in the debt unless the House of Malfoy provide services that will render some of the debt paid. _

_The debt will be called in on the twelfth hour of the morrow unless a service can be rendered._

_Head of House Black._

Malfoy stared at the letter for several seconds incredulously, he had no debts that he was aware of but as he glanced at the figure written on the parchment he knew that if this was true the amount was large enough to bankrupt him and leave him in debt. It couldn't be true but Malfoy also knew that if it was than House Black were well within their rights to demand payment. He had to get to the bottom of this and quickly.

The house-elves responded quickly, pitiful creatures that they were. Almost instantly the finance papers for the last 300 years were in front of him. Quickly he scanned the older records searching for the evidence that the debt was false. Contrary to all his expectations the older records revealed that not only was the debt true, House Malfoy owed the House of Black millions of galleons but there were mentions of older debts that also were yet to be called in, belonging to the previous name of the line. His anger boiled over, as he cursed his ancestors who had managed to run up such a spectacularly large debt. He knew he had no choice. If the debt was called in he would lose everything in a matter of minutes and the moment he stopped feeding Fudge bribes there was a fairly large chance all his illegal dealings would be revealed, but the debt was to that bastard of a blood traitor and Lucius had a suspicion of what the 'services' might be. If he didn't know that Black was a Gryffindor he would have thought he was a Slytherin. The calling in of the debt was certainly a Slytherin move, especially as Black invoked old pureblood formality. Gritting his teeth Malfoy Senior was forced to concede that despite Black's status as a blood traitor he had received all the schooling in pureblood formality and he had the advantage of a much older and richer name than Malfoy.

Locking his rage away beneath his usual sneering mask he began to pen a letter enquiring about the potential 'services' he could provide.

* * *

Bit shorter than usual I'm afraid but I felt I needed to end it there. Reviews will be welcome. What do you think about involving Malfoy? I wasn't intending to post this today, I was intending to post weekly but that has been working out _ really_ well, anyway I have quite a few chapters done now but I will not be persuaded to update more than once a day! Just don't shoot me when this writing splurge comes to an end and I then don't update for a few months! You've got at least six more chapters before I run out and it doesn't look like I'm going to run out of steam soon.

Please review.


	5. Solutions

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 4 – Solutions**

Sirius was standing in the ruins of Godric's Hollow, the walls rose up around him, towering over him, twisted and burnt, covering him in shadows that shifted and stretched, there was the stench of smoke in the air. Before him lay the broken body of his best friend James Potter, hazel eyes which he had never seen without their light of mischief were glassy and blank. As Sirius stared they rolled towards him and in jerky movements the body of James Potter pulled itself to its feet and stared at Sirius with awful blank, empty eyes. "You betrayed me Sirius,"

"No...no James ... I couldn't, I wouldn't...I swear I didn't know," Sirius pleaded, his voice cracking but the spectre of James Potter continued to speak in the flat dead tone that was worse than anything he could shout or scream.

"You failed me, you failed Harry," the voice of his best friend continued, the words burning him, "You were never my friend,"

Sirius continued to plead, but his words fell on deaf ears.

He blinked disorientated. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he stared up at the ceiling. The nightmare was familiar, it had plagued him virtually every night since that night where he had come to Godric's Hollow only to find two of his best friends dead. He glanced over at his clock and let out a soft curse it was four in the morning and bitter experience had taught him he wouldn't get more sleep that night. Extending the more colourful areas of his vocabulary Sirius dragged his protesting body out of bed and towards the shower, at least he thought wryly the one good thing Azkaban had left him with was an ability to survive comfortably on as little sleep as possible.

The worst part of the dream of course was the fact that James was totally justified in what he said. He had promised both of them when he became godfather that he would care for Harry if anything was to happen to them and an excellent job he'd made of that he thought bitterly. Why couldn't he have seen that his pup was so much more important than pursuing the rat? If he had he would have been able to raise Harry, look after him, protect him and most importantly love him. Harry had been and still was the most important thing in Sirius's world. He had loved Harry ever since he first laid eyes on him and that love continued to this day. Sirius knew that he would probably never have children of his own but that didn't matter he loved Harry like he was his own son, Harry took that place in his heart. Sirius couldn't help but smile when he thought of his godson; Harry had accepted him and wanted to live with him. The smile faded as his mind spun to the reasons why Harry was so determined to escape from his relatives. At least, he thought, I'm doing everything I can to rectify the situation.

A smirk crossed his face as he thought of the recent correspondence with a certain Malfoy. As he expected Lucius had almost been falling over himself to offer a service to work off some of the loan and the conditions Sirius had set were exacting, an investigation was to be set up, the Kiss on contact order had been rescinded, a month's deadline for significant advancements had been set and although he hadn't specified it there was definitely the emphasis that the judgement was supposed to be to his liking. Sirius shook his head at the Slytherin nature of the scheme, still he consoled himself, sacrifices must be made and if it got him his freedom and custody of the pup he would do it a thousand times. Finishing the last gulp of his coffee Sirius headed into the rest of the house, even though his uncle had been his favourite by far in the Black family he had still been more than a bit of a crackpot and his taste in decor left much to be desired. Seeing as this house was likely to be his and then the pup's main residence he was using the waiting time to completely redo it, paying particular attention to Harry's room of course.

* * *

Amelia Bones was not enjoying herself, as the head of the DMLE she thought she ought to be able to do some good but day in day out she was stuck in her office going through miles and miles of paperwork. Sometimes she just felt like taking the entire bureaucracy and throwing through the veil. She sighed as she picked up another one of those infernal memos; that was the other downside to her position – it forced her to endure hours with the idiot Fudge. Sighing to herself she glanced over the note only to realise she had to endure another meeting with that jackass in half an hour. "Well," she muttered to herself, "He'd better actually have something good to give me."

An hour later she was found clutching the desk to steady herself, "You mean to tell me Sirius Black never actually received a trial?" She demanded. Fudge merely nodded spinning his lime green bowler hat with ever increasing speed in his fingers, "Well it was the previous administrations fault Amelia," She ignored him,

"I hope the orders to Kiss on Sight have been removed?" Her voice was scathing. Fudge nodded nervously,

"Of course, of course, I'm sure he is guilty of course but until we are sure we want no accidents." Amelia just glared,

"I suppose nobody even checked if he bore the Dark Mark," Fudge averted his eyes. Amelia threw up her hands in exasperation, "So a man escapes from Azkaban after twelve years when he didn't even get a trial in the first place and nobody even thought to check if he even bore the bloody Dark Mark, have I missed anything?" She asked sarcastically. Not bothering to answer her own question she swept out of the office, "Rest assured I will give the matter a THROUGH investigation Minister."

Back in her office Amelia rooted around for the bottle of Firewhiskey she kept for similar occasions, taking a gulp to steady her nerves she had to admit that of all the things she had been expecting from the meeting with the Minister that had been the last thing she had expected.

Sitting down she started noting down all the pertinent facts surrounding the case.

Facts

Escaped from Azkaban

No trial

Pettigrew never found

Dark Mark Unknown

Innocence

Godfather to Harry Potter

Pettigrew sightings

Harry Potter is alive

Killed Death Eaters

Guilt

Pettigrew accused him

Laughed at sight

Presumed Secret Keeper

Blasting curse

She stared at the list in front of her, the evidence that supported his guilt was fairly weak, yes he was the obvious choice for secret keeper but that in itself made him more unsuitable, it made him a target, the only evidence against him was Pettigrew's word and the blasting curse which now she thought about it might and this was a big might have been cast by Pettigrew, Black wasn't the only wizard on the street.

Glancing over the Innocence column she had to admit the Pettigrew sightings were the most intriguing, she had been told by Fudge the story of how he had met Harry Potter at Hogwarts, Black would have had ample opportunity to kill Potter but he had not. Surely if he was one of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named followers he would have killed the boy immediately instead of letting him live, after all he was supposed to have escaped so he could kill the boy. The other point here was that Potter and the other two with him, Miss Granger and one of the Weasley's from her notes all spoke of seeing Peter Pettigrew and hearing him confess he was indeed the secret keeper. Before the news that there wasn't actually a trial she knew that she would have dismissed it as a confundus but now she wasn't so sure. She shook her head and pursed her lips, one thing was certain; she would get to the bottom of this case.

Flicking out a memo she summoned both Moody and Kingsley to her office, Mad-Eye had been one of the Auror's to take him into custody and Kingsley was adept at finding the details in cases that people frequently overlooked.

Within a few minutes both of them were sitting in her office, "So what's this about Bones?" Moody asked gruffly. Amelia surveyed both of them sternly,

"First off I don't want any details of this getting to the Prophet understand," Both men nodded as she sucked in a deep breath, "We're reopening the Black case."

Both men just gaped at her even Moody. Amelia almost laughed at the expression on the grizzled old Auror's face; very few things could shock Alastor Moody but with one statement she had achieved exactly that. "Now I'm sure you're wondering why, well it recently came to my attention that Black never received a trial." She waited for the two men to absorb that before pushing her notes towards them. Quickly Moody scanned the document, after a moment he sat back and grunted,

"Always had a hard time believing it of him. Him and Potter were the best I've ever trained, they seemed to know what the other was thinking. Between them they must have brought down more of them dark bastards than the rest of the Auror force combined. I'd never pegged him as a spy but you can't be sure. Constant Vigilance and all."

Kingsley had also studied the parchment, "Is there the possibility of the Imperius?" Moody was already shaking his head,

"No he could throw it off, both him and Potter could so that possibility is out."

Amelia turned to Moody, "You were there when he was taken in Moody, nobody checked for the Dark Mark correct?" Moody nodded muttering something under his breath that sounded uncannily like stupid fools, constant vigilance. Amelia ignored him and continued to speak, "Did his wand get snapped or is it still around somewhere?" Moody furrowed his brow in concentration "I think it went into storage, evidence for the trial and whatnot."

Amelia nodded decisively, "Kingsley see if you can find the wand, witness statements from the muggles would also be useful if you can dredge them up. Priori Incantatem should clear up the matter of the blasting curse. Alastor I want you to go to Hogwarts and get statements from Potter, Granger and Weasley, maybe Lupin if you can find him, pensive memories if you can. Incidentally your thoughts on the arrest of Black would also be helpful." She surveyed both of them. "I'll want reports before the week's out if possible gentlemen. There is a chance an innocent man has been imprisoned for twelve years." Both men nodded and headed out to begin their respective tasks.

Watching them go Amelia considered the last few hours, it would be interesting to say the least what this investigation managed to uncover. She turned back to her bottle of firewhiskey, well it was something more interesting and useful than the endless paperwork.

* * *

Things should really start picking up in the next few chapters or so, enjoy, thanks for all the reviews, I'm glad so many people like this. See you tomorrow!


	6. Interviews

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 5 – Interviews**

A boy called Harry Potter was perched on the windowsill in the Gryffindor third year boys dorms, his jade green eyes almost blank as he stared out across the grounds and a single piece of parchment griped tightly in his clenched fist. For half an hour, for one wonderful half an hour he had believed he would be able to leave the Dursleys and live with Sirius. His lips quirked upwards in a small half smile as he thought of his godfather, even though he had believed him to be the betrayer of his parents and had hated him for the better part of a year after he had found out the truth he couldn't hold onto that hate. The revelation Sirius was innocent had completely changed his mind. The man had broken out of Azkaban to find the real traitor and for him, Harry Potter.

Sirius had wanted him, he cared for him, even offering a home to him. Harry couldn't help the tears that pricked at the edges of his eyes, he couldn't remember a time when someone had actually wanted him, before nobody had actually cared what happened to him provided he behaved, did his chores and stayed out from underfoot, even at Hogwarts. Sure the teachers here were kind to him and didn't want to see him hurt but they were like that for every single student; Professor Lupin had been the first adult he could remember who had taken the time to do something as simple as sit and talk to him, the first adult who gave an inkling that they would actually mind maybe even worry if he simply disappeared one day.

Within the space of a single hour Sirius Black had shown him more affection than any adult had previously. He had offered him a home despite the fact he was still a convict and then he had protected Harry even though he was putting himself at risk doing so. He had had a chance, he had been offered a chance for a new life, somebody who actually cared for him, something he had longed for ever since he had realised as a small child that he would never be the same as Dudley in his Aunt and Uncle's eyes, that their affection and love would forever be denied to him. Ever since that day he had longed for a family of his own, somebody, anybody who would give a love starved little boy even a fraction of the affection the Dursleys showered on Dudley. And up until a few nights ago that dream had seemed all but impossible.

Harry blinked hard to stop the angry tears falling. A few short days ago he had been on the brink of gaining the one thing that he craved above all others only to have those dreams snatched away the moment they came within reach. If only Pettigrew hadn't escaped, if only, if only.

Harry glanced down at the single piece of parchment he clutched in his fist unable to stop his eyes blurring, Sirius had written to him, reassuring him, thanking him and offering words of comfort. It was such a small gesture but Harry clung to it tightly, an adult had taken the time to write and with that single act had shown the boy volumes of kindness he had never experienced before just by being there.

"Mr Potter," the stern voice of his head of house broke into his thoughts. Startled Harry spun round to face her and in doing so managed to propel himself off the window ledge hitting the dormitory floor with a thud. Sheepishly he picked himself up with a muttered, "Sorry Professor," as he turned to face his head of house. The flash of worry that had passed over the Transfiguration Mistress's features quickly evaporated as she saw the boy had not appeared to sustain any damage from the accident.

"Mr Potter an Auror has come to take the statements of you and your friends following your encounter with Black. You are to come to my office immediately." Harry had almost protested Sirius's innocence when Professor McGonagall had mentioned him but stopped himself just in time as she remembered that she like the rest of the Wizarding World still believed in his guilt. Quickly he followed the Professor, perhaps there was a chance he could convince the Auror that Sirius was actually innocent. For a moment he allowed himself to entertain the thought but he banished it just as quickly, hope would only make it so much harder when he had to return to number 4 Privet Drive.

* * *

Alastor Moody sat thoughtfully in Minerva's office, so far the statements he had received from both the Granger girl and the Weasley boy were surprising to say the least. Both agreed completely and both were adamant on the fact that they had seen Pettigrew transform and on his animagus form, furthermore they were both completely convinced on the fact that Black was innocent. His magic eye spun madly as he reviewed the last two interviews mentally, the accounts matched far too closely and they both had too high a level of clarity to even raise the possibility of a confundus. He was still slightly sceptical on the subject of Black's innocence, he came from one of the darkest families in the Wizarding World after all but the two certainly gave a convincing story. Looking at it honestly Moody knew he would have suspected Pettigrew over Black, if he had ever thought such a choice existed.

His gaze swivelled to the two vials of memory that sat on the desk in front of him, both the boy and the girl had consented to providing the memories immediately, the girl had even gone so far as to say, "Maybe now the Ministry could actually do something instead of pursuing an innocent man." So far Moody hadn't looked through the memories, he could do that later with the boss, now he had to get the most important testimony of all, Potter's.

A swift knock came on the door before it was pushed open and Minerva McGonagall ushered Potter in. With a swift glance across the room she nodded once to Moody before sweeping out of her office, presumably to deal with some of her lions.

Moody narrowed his eye as he surveyed the boy before him. Potter's eyes were sweeping the room, probing it and also analysing Moody. Mad-Eye noticed that Potter's wand was held securely in his hand which the boy had positioned slightly behind him. Not enough to properly conceal the wand of course, but enough to hide it so that if the person in front of him wasn't paying attention he would be able to have his wand up and ready the instant he was threatened. Moody found himself almost nodding approval, only thirteen and the boy already had the markings of a good Auror, situation awareness, alterness, battle readiness and an overall wariness that could save his life in a battle.

Abruptly Moody spoke, "Siddown Potter. I've got a few questions." Instantly the boy responded, slipping down onto the chair although Moody noticed with approval that his eyes continued to dart around the room seeking potential traps.

"Tell me what happened."

Again the exact same story poured out of the boy but Moody noticed every time the boy spoke about Pettigrew his eyes would grow flinty and his voice cold and by the same note every time he spoke of Black there was a note to his voice which despite the years he had served on the front line Moody could not quite identify, almost a hint of longing perhaps or maybe hope that the boy couldn't quite bring himself to believe in.

Soon the interview was winding to a close, "Would you consent to provide me with the memory?"

Potter just looked confused for a moment, "My memory sir?" Moody rolled his eyes, both normal and magical,

"You can provide a memory to back up your testimony," he gestured to the vials on the table, "Both your friends already have done so." The boy still looked indecisive,

"Will I lose the memory completely?" he blurted out suddenly, "You see it's the only memory I have of him really and," the boy's voice fell almost to a whisper and try as he might Moody was unable to make out any of the words but he could make out the tone of desperation that came behind them. Moody regarded him steadily for a moment, noticing how the boy avoided his eyes, his cheeks tinged slightly from embarrassment and maybe a touch of fear. There was something slightly wrong about Potter, Moody's senses were screaming at him, Alastor paused considering, when Potter first came in he had seen how he was excellent Auror material and he could still see that now but the boy also seemed much younger now and much more vulnerable, there had been something almost childlike in his posture and voice, something he wouldn't expect in a teenager.

"Normally you would lose it until you returned it to yourself but it is possible to make a copy and return the memory almost immediately." Moody said gruffly. Instantly the light was back in the boy's eyes. "Can we do that please sir? I want to help Sirius but I can't lose that memory, not now..." he trailed off and Moody got the distinct impression he had said more than he wanted to. Setting the thought aside for a moment Moody showed the boy how to withdraw the memory and then he muttered the spell to copy it before bottling the copy securely. "Normally we wouldn't do this. It's too easy to alter a copy but seeing this is only a review it won't hurt."

With a single motion and his battle-cry "Constant Vigilance," he shooed the boy out of the office and returned it to its owner before heading back to the Ministry of Magic, with a very interesting tale to tell Amelia.

* * *

Kingsley's search had also borne fruit. After detailed searching of the evidence boxes dating back to the fall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named he had finally located Black's wand, thankfully it was still in one piece and twelve years would not have any effect on the Priori Incantatem spell. The other interesting facts he had discovered was the complete lack of reports, transcripts or even witness statements and he was beginning to suspect it was only because of an oversight on somebody's part that the wand was still around. All the potential evidence that surrounded the Black case had completely vanished.

Kingsley was beginning to suspect not all was what it seemed here. Someone had obviously gone to a great deal of trouble to hide or destroy all the pertinent evidence in the case and combined with the lack of a trial, heck even the Lestranges had been given trials it was beginning to look like somebody wanted the truth on Black to stay buried.

* * *

And that's chapter 5 folks. Thanks for the reviews and I ought to update tomorrow. I'm aware for those of you in America I am updating at very odd time but I'm English so midday for me is about 2 in the morning for you! Glad you're enjoying it, see you tomorrow and please review.


	7. Evidence

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Extract from Prisoner of Azkaban belongs to JK Rowling, I own nothing. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 6 – Evidence**

Amelia Bones frowned as she listened to Kingsley's report. The wand would definitely be useful in the investigation but the news that all the pertinent witness statements, reports and testimony's had vanished was troubling; the deeper she delved into the case the more irregularities and questions she found. Listening to her deputy's theories on the missing records she found herself agreeing with him. It definitely seemed that someone had a hand in the case otherwise it would all be far too much of a coincidence, no trial, papers missing and nobody doing basic checks and one thing years on the force had taught her was in cases like this there were no coincidences.

As Kingsley finished his report the attention of the three in the office turned to the wand, at least one issue could be cleared up extremely easily, had Black cast the Blasting curse that had cost thirteen muggles and potentially Pettigrew their lives? They all seemed to be holding their breath as Amelia raised her wand and spoke, "Priori Incantatem."

The Ebony and Dragon Heartstring wand glowed golden for a few seconds then a smoky form condensed in the centre of the room. For a moment the three of them stared in complete and utter shock, slowly Moody began to laugh. "Doesn't exactly fit with the mass murderer image does it?" Amelia asked dryly. Kingsley just shook his head,

"An infant healing charm, well that was the last thing I expected." Amelia just nodded,

"This means he is innocent on that front, he did not cast the curse that killed those muggles so the only person could do that was..."

"Pettigrew," Amelia said, her voice hard, "And an innocent man has been trapped in Azkaban for twelve years because somebody," the sarcasm was laid on thick, "decided he was so obviously guilty that he didn't need a trial."

"He still might have betrayed the Potters though," Moody added, "Although I'd admit it's looking more and more unlikely."

Kingsley tapped the tabletop thoughtfully with one finger, "It's interesting that the last spell is a healing charm though," he paused for a moment, "Particularly an infant healing charm," He left the sentence hanging. Moody turned to him, his good eye narrowing shrewdly.

"You think he might have healed Potter." It was a statement not a question, Kingsley merely nodded and Moody continued thoughtfully, "We don't fully know what happened that night; Black was one of Potter's best friends. If he'd gone to Godric's Hollow that night he might easily have healed Potter, after all the boy has that scar. Yes," Moody mused, "I can't think of any other young children Black would have had contact with just before we caught him. But that's something only Black could tell us."

Amelia nodded, "Very well gentlemen, lets watch the memories shall we?"

The memories played slowly before their eyes, the Weasley boy being dragged into the Whomping Willow, Lupin's entrance, the explanation of why they had become animagi, then Snape's entrance, his refusal to listen and finally they reached the most interesting parts,

"_Harry...I as good as killed them, I persuaded Lily and James to change to Peter at the last moment, persuaded them to use him instead of me," _and then the transformation, the irrefutable proof Pettigrew was still alive. "_A head was shooting upwards from the ground; limbs were sprouting," _There was no question it was Pettigrew. And still the shocks continued,

"_You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years, You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supports...Sounds like they think the double-crosser double crossed them...I knew I was innocent...it kept me sane and knowing who I am...But then I saw Peter in that picture...I realised he was at Hogwarts with Harry...perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again...ready to strike the moment he could be sure of allies...to deliver the last Potter to them...I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive...Believe me...Believe me. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them." JKR POA_

A finally the confession,

"_You sold Lily and James to Voldemort,' said Black, 'Do you deny it?' Pettigrew burst into tears. _

'_Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord ... you have no idea ... he has weapons you can't imagine. I never meant for it to happen ... He Who Must Not Be Named forced me –'_

'_DON'T LIE!' bellowed Black. 'YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMSTION TO HIM FOR OVER A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!'_

'_He – he was taking over everywhere!' gasped Pettigrew, 'Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?'_

'_What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Black with terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives Peter!" _ _JKR POA _

Each memory played for a little longer but all the crucial evidence was there, the proof of Black's innocence on all counts, a confession from Pettigrew, and each memory depicted the exact same events, albeit from the three different viewpoints and with each with their own emotional range. The one that had left her most shaken was Harry Potter's. Even though it was only a copy the memory had swung from rage and hate to an overwhelming sense of hope and joy despite the anger that still simmered under the surface, although this time it was directed at Pettigrew and she was more than a bit battered from the strength of the feelings which had washed over her.

As the three emerged from the final memory Amelia strode straight to her desk, uncovered the Firewhiskey and each had a stiff drink. Once they had recovered somewhat Amelia turned to face the two men. "I think that conclusively proves Black's innocence." Both men nodded although Kingsley shook his head in wonderment,

"If anyone had told me even two weeks ago that I'd sit here today and see conclusive proof of Black's innocence I'd have sent them to St Mungo's" he laughed wryly, "I think if I hadn't seen that I wouldn't believe it." Both Amelia and Moody nodded and the group sat for a moment in silence, eventually Amelia broke it,

"I'll notify Fudge and prepare a case for the Wizengamot in three weeks time," she let out a slow breath, "And my orders from last week still stand, if one word of this leaks to the press before I present my case, I will make damn sure whichever one of you leaked it will be on the graveyard shift and stuck in the office doing paperwork for the next ten years." Moody cracked a sly grin,

"They won't hear it from me boss unless they force feed me Veritasum." Amelia rolled her eyes,

"Out of my office you rascal."

* * *

Harry stared out of the window of the Hogwarts Express watching as the countryside flashed by. The last weeks at Hogwarts had felt oddly empty for some reason despite the exams and the revision that Hermione pilled on both him and Ron so he was at the point where he was working almost constantly. It wasn't just that out of all the people in the castle he was the only one who was not infected with the excitement that flooded the rest of the school as the holidays drew closer, he had always dreaded the summer holidays although he had to be frank with himself, it was the first year where he had anything like a normal end of term. In the first year he had spent most of the period worrying about Voldemort and then spent several days in the infirmary so he hadn't actually been able to worry about going back to Privet Drive and in his second year he had been so caught up in the elation of killing the basilisk and having Hermione back that he had paid hardly any attention to his impending return. He tried to tell himself that this subtle feeling of emptiness was just his worry at having to return to the Dursley's but deep down he knew it was more than that.

For half an hour, for one glorious half an hour he had believed that he had chance at another life, he had a hope that something would actually be different. Sure he had seen other families before and last summer at the Burrow he had envied what Ron had but he had never thought on it too much because by then he had accepted the fact that he would never be accepted, he would never have a person that would love him as a parent or a guardian would. But when he had met Sirius he had been offered that, maybe Sirius wouldn't love him but he didn't expect that, all he wanted was someone who would care for him. If he was honest with himself he knew part of the reason that he had been miserable for the end of term was that even though he told himself not to hope deep within him he knew there had been a faint possibility that it would have been Sirius waiting for him at Platform 9 and ¾ and the fact that it wasn't hurt him more than he let on. It was hard enough having to go back to the Dursleys but to go back to the Dursleys when he might have escaped was even worse. Was it kidnapping, he wondered suddenly, if you wanted to leave?

"Harry, fancy a game of exploding snap?" Yanking himself out of his thoughts Harry summoned up a smile,

"Sure Ron." As Ron began to lay out the cards Harry reminded himself that he wasn't going to see his best friends or enjoy anything from the wizarding world for just over ten weeks, so he had better enjoy himself now. The rest of the journey was spent playing increasingly crazy games of exploding snap, at one point even managing to get Hermione to put her book down and eating their way through their last supplies of sweets before they re-entered the muggle world.

* * *

"Moony!" The shout rang through the entire house. A slightly annoyed Remus Lupin waved his wand twice to repair the broken mug and clear up the coffee that had split on the table in front of him, "What is it Padfoot?" he demanded testily as Sirius Black charged through the kitchen door grinning like a madman.

"Letter from Malfoy," Remus tried and failed to suppress a snigger, this was the first (and probably last) time Sirius would ever be happy about anything Lucius Malfoy sent him. Sirius turned to glare at his friend but it didn't last long as his excitement soon bubbled to the surface again, "Amelia Bones has finished her investigation, found me innocent and is going to present her case at the Wizengamot in just under three weeks time."

Remus couldn't help the delighted grin that spread across his features, "You're finally going to be free and then you can go and get the cub." Sirius grinned even more broadly at the pronouncement but the smile dimmed somewhat, "Harry will have to go back to the Dursleys for that time Remus, I can't get him out of there in time." Remus placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "It only for a few weeks Padfoot, you can go and get him the moment you're free. He has lived with the Dursleys for nearly thirteen years now, he will be fine for a couple more weeks."

"I know Remus," Sirius sighed heavily, "I just wish he didn't have to. I wish I'd actually thought before I went charging off after Peter, if only I'd thought about what I was doing..."  
"Then it would have been the first time in your life Padfoot," the werewolf interrupted firmly, "You're here for him now and that's all that matters." Sirius smiled ruefully,

"I don't know what I'd do without you Moony,"

"Forget to breathe?" the werewolf interjected smoothly. Sirius's eyes narrowed as a grin spread across his face and soon the air was full of flying spells as a hexing war broke out. Several minutes later and after several extra limbs, interestingly coloured robes and other assorted jinks had been removed the animagus turned to his friend, "But seriously Moony, I need you here. Perhaps after I rescue the pup you'd stay for a while?" Remus frowned indecisively,

"I don't know Padfoot, I've got my own place after all..." Sirius snorted loudly,

"Yeah, one that you'll be kicked out of the minute they realise you're a werewolf." He continued on a slightly more serious note, " You don't have to stay permanently Remus,I know you haven't got a job at the moment and I'm going to need you to help me when Harry arrives," he ran his hand through his hair distractedly, "I have absolutely no experience with being a parent, I know I'm not James and I never could replace him but still I'm going to have to set rules and discipline him and," he let out a long breath, "I'm going to need your help when I muck up."

"You'll be wonderful with Harry Padfoot," Remus interjected, "James and Lily named you godfather for a reason and I've seen how much you love him, you aren't going to need me." Sirius waved his words away,

"Perhaps but Harry is going to need someone to teach him to defend himself," his eyes narrowed, "He has a price on his head Moony, Voldemort hasn't gone and even without Voldemort in the picture the Death Eaters would all like a piece of him. He needs to be able to defend himself. I can't say I like it, Merlin knows I hate it but it's the truth. I know I'm here now and I will protect him with my life but suppose I wasn't there or couldn't reach him in time, what then? I couldn't lose him now, not because he didn't know how to defend himself." His eyes were shadowed as he gazed out of the window looking at everything and nothing, "He was all I lived for in Azkaban, only knowing that he was still alive kept me going, if I lost him it would destroy me Moony. And besides," the blankness in his eyes receded slightly and a small smile curved on his lips, "He needs to get to know his Uncle Moony, not Professor Lupin." He waved his hand carelessly at the staircase, "It's not as if I don't have the room."

Remus shook his head, "I've got my own place Sirius, but if you want I can come over regularly. I don't have to tell you that I'll be thrilled to help with the cub, I'll only be a floo call away and I can come over whenever you need me." Sirius nodded, sensing his friend wasn't about to budge,

"Fine, but you are coming here on full moons and we can run around the grounds and you'd better visit regularly or you won't find life worth living." Sirius's voice was teasing but Remus could see he meant every word.

He couldn't really get to grips with the new responsible version of his friend and even after visiting him virtually every day for two and a half weeks this version of Sirius still managed to shock him every so often. It wasn't as if Sirius was radically different, more like he had eventually grown up, something he wouldn't have thought possible twelve years ago. Still, he thought grimly, twelve years in Azkaban with nothing more than their worst memories for company would make anyone grow up.

* * *

And that's the next instalment folks! Thank for all the lovely reviews, please keep sending them. The chapters are getting a bit longer now so once I've exhausted mu current supply the updates will slow down slightly, maybe every other day, this will become especially marked when study leave finishes in two weeks time. I'm not going to manage 4000+ words a day alongside school I'm afraid. But anyway that's in the future, so enjoy, please review and see you lot tomorrow.


	8. Trials and Dursleys

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 7 – Trials and Dursleys**

Harry lay curled in a tight ball on the thin mattress on the floor of the cupboard under the stairs tears dripping down his face. Ever since he had returned to Privet Drive at the start of the summer he had lived in his cupboard except when the Dursley's made him do chores and Uncle Vernon hit him when he didn't finish them fast enough. It must have been past midnight and the pitch blackness comforted Harry slightly, at least a night he knew his uncle couldn't hurt him.

In the week he had been back at Privet Drive the cupboard had quickly become his sanctuary. Despite the fact that there was hardly any space to move as he now shared it with all his things it was the one place Uncle Vernon could not reach him and when the ten heavy duty locks that had been put in place were securely locked he knew that he was safe for a few short hours until he would be pulled out to start again on a seemingly endless list of chores.

Tears slipped down his face as he lay fully clothed on the baby mattress he had slept on since he was a baby. His uncle had been particularly harsh that evening and Harry could feel the throbbing of the new layer of fresh bruises and cuts over the cuts and bruises from each of the previous evenings beatings. To make matters worse he had not been given a single meal since he had returned to the Dursleys, the only thing he was given in the way of sustenance was a single glass of water in the mornings and evenings. Evidently the Dursleys didn't quite want him to die but they seemed to be doing everything they possibly could to him short of actually killing him.

Harry didn't know what had caused the Dursleys to change so drastically in their approach to him but at that moment he didn't care. He didn't care that he was going to be fourteen in a few weeks and fourteen year olds were not supposed to cry, he didn't care that fourteen year olds were not supposed to long for a hug or any sign of affection they could get, he didn't care that he wasn't supposed to want somebody to come and hold him, to make him feel safe, he didn't care that people would say he was behaving like a young child, all he wanted was for somebody to come and take him away and look after him.

But that would never happen because it couldn't. The one man who had ever shown him any form of love was on the run and unable to come for him, Sirius could never come for Harry because if he did he would be caught and thrown back into Azkaban and nobody else would come because he was a worthless freak and nobody else cared. And so he cried. Cried for what he so desperately wanted and cried for something he would never have.

Against the background of his own sobs Harry James Potter finally drifted off into sleep. His godfather's letter, the only words of kindness he had, clutched safely in his fist.

* * *

"Does anyone else have any issues to bring before the Wizengamot." The voice of Albus Dumbledore rang out through the stone chamber. Amelia Bones raised her hand, this would be the moment she would shake up the entire Wizarding World.

"I bring an item from the DMLE with the backing of the Minister Chief Warlock," Dumbledore surveyed the gathered witches and wizards,

"As all nobody else has another issue to bring before us I give the floor to Madam Bones." Amelia inclined her head respectfully towards Dumbledore then made her way down to the floor where she could address the gathering, she took a deep breath, after she was finished Wizarding Britain would be shocked to its entire core.

"Witches and Wizards, members of this august body I bring before you the case of Sirius Orion Black." She paused, waiting for the explosion and she wasn't disappointed. As her last words seeped it was as if somebody had sneaked into the courtroom set off several crates of Filibuster's fireworks combined with sending up the Dark Mark and releasing several nifflers. It took Dumbledore several minutes and a liberal use of sonorous charms before any single voice was able to be heard. As soon as silence had returned Dumbledore turned to her, "I presume you are able to explain more Madame Bones."

"It was recently brought to my attention the Sirius Black, a pureblood heir to one of our most ancient houses," personally she believed the blood counted for absolutely nothing but she also knew that single statement was guaranteed to attract the attention of some of the more 'conservative' members of the Wizengamot and she knew she had to gain their vote, "Has never received a trial." Again she was forced to wait whilst Dumbledore attempted to regain control of the Wizengamot although this time she could see that there was more than a little anger particularly on the pureblood front that one of their own had not been tried, eventually she was able to continue.

"As such my department conducted an investigation and I will now present the results of said investigation and then I would ask that the Wizengamot vote on the case."

For the next several hours the evidence was shown piece by piece. Priori Incantatem was performed and Amelia Bones was hard pressed to prevent herself from smiling at the utter shock on the faces of the Wizengamot when it was revealed the last spell cast was nothing but an infant healing charm. The murmurs grew more thoughtful as the transcripts of the interviews were read out and as the memories were shown many of the mutterings turned to outright anger as the court realised an innocent man had been locked up in Azkaban for twelve years. Finally the last memory was shown and the court lapsed into silence and even Dumbledore looked slightly shaken.

"Those who believe Sirius Black to be innocent."

"Those who believe Sirius Black to be guilty."

Amelia's eyes scanned the assembled witches and wizards counting frantically, she sighed in relief when only eight indicated a guilty verdict. She may not care for the man himself but she cared for justice and if the verdict had not returned as innocent she knew they would have been putting an innocent man back in Azkaban, if they ever caught him of course.

Albus Dumbledore was speaking once again, "The Wizengamot hereby find Sirius Black not guilty of all charges. The one year in Azkaban that is the punishment for being an illegal animagus will be subtracted from the time already served. Sirius Black will be given 100,000 Galleons for the remaining number of years he spent unlawfully detained and notice will be given to the Goblins and the Daily Prophet. The papers for the release will be given to the DMLE at the end of this session."

A few last petitions and details occupied the Wizengamot but it was a smiling Amelia Bones who headed back to her office an hour later; justice had been dealt with and an innocent man would finally be free. When she reached her office she regarded its new occupant resignedly. The large eagle owl stretched out it's leg and sighing Amelia removed the piece of parchment. Almost immediately the owl took flight and Amelia glanced at it puzzled, that was not normal behaviour for Ministry owls, normally they would wait and see if there was a reply of some form. Shrugging her shoulders she deftly opened the letter then stared at the words in shock,

_Dear Madame Bones,_

_I am aware I am the last person you would expect to write to the DMLE but I have been made aware of the fact you have reviewed my case and finally come to the conclusion that I am innocent and you present my case to the Wizengamot today and I have just received notice from my account manager that I have been given my freedom. I would greatly appreciate it if you would be able to meet with me at 4pm today to discuss certain matters that have come alongside my freedom, namely the Custody of one Harry James Potter, my Godson. I would also appreciate it if you were able to bring my wand with you when you meet with me as it is no longer required for evidence. _

_If you are willing to meet with me please come to Gringotts at 4pm and ask for my account manager Sharpclaw, some of the matter's I wish to discuss are private and I believe I would cause panic if I entered Ministry premises before the news of my innocence is widely known._

_Sincerely_

_Sirius Black_

Amelia Bones blinked hard but the letters on the page remained the same, idly she wondered who had told Black of her investigation, no details had reached the press before the judgement an hour ago and the article was not in print yet, she pondered it for a moment before she discarded the thought, it had probably been the Goblins, particularly as he had specified the meeting place as Gringotts. She glanced over at the clock on her wall and at her diary, mercifully it was empty at 4pm, she was well aware that there was little the Ministry could refuse Black at the moment, after all they had been responsible for locking him away without a trial and she was just thankful he had only requested a meeting and his wand so far, both were easy requests to fulfil and didn't compromise the Ministry in anyway. She glanced over the letter again, the issue of Harry Potter was going to be more difficult but she was also uncomfortably aware that as the boy's godfather and now a free man he had the right for custody over any other person, particularly as the Potter's had no wizarding blood relatives closer than second cousins.

Glancing at the clock once again she hurriedly collected the necessary items, the wand and the file relating to Harry Potter. Soon she was striding up the white marble steps into Gringotts. The goblin teller was surprisingly helpful as he led her through the winding corridors of the bank, she noticed that they were heading in the wrong direction for the account mangers offices. As she mentioned this the goblin nodded and turned to her, "The bank has provided meeting chambers for this meeting as Lord Black emphasises his need for a neutral space and party, the Goblin Nation was happy to oblige." Amelia raised her eyebrow at that statement, goblins were known for their almost instinctive dislike of wizards in general yet they obviously acted towards Lord Black with a level of goodwill that was usually reserved for goblins only. Filing that piece of information away to be examined later she followed the teller who ushered her into a small businesslike room.

Sirius Black nodded at the goblin and conversed softly with him for a few minutes in the goblin tongue. Amelia raised her other eyebrow, perhaps this was the reason he was given such a level of respect by the goblins. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in Black's appearance, although he was definitely too thin he was clean and freshly shaven and his robes were obviously of good quality and adorned with the crest of House Black albeit the fact they were a little old. If it wasn't for the shadows still present in his eyes she would have found it almost impossible to reconcile the image of this man with the image of the convict who had escaped nearly one year ago.

The teller bowed and exited the room and as Sirius Black turned towards her she realised her mouth was open and she snapped it shut, the man gave no indication he had seen apart from his lips which twitched, "Greetings Madam Bones," the twitching turned into a wry smile, "I know I do not look the part but I assure you I am indeed Sirius Black." The witch ignored the smile and grasped the proffered hand firmly.

"It is good to meet you Lord Black. I can only apologise on behalf of the Ministry for your unjust imprisonment." Sirius Black merely nodded and Amelia Bones reached into her robes and withdrew the Ebony wand before presenting it to its owner, "I believe it is time the Ministry returns this." Sirius Black smiled and for the first time it reached his eyes as he took the wand from her. She smiled slightly as she saw the man's obvious pleasure as he was reunited with his wand, she knew that after you had used a wand for a long time it almost felt like it was part of your magic and by extension removing it would leave a gap in your sense of your magic. "Out of curiosity why was the last spell you cast an infant healing charm."

Black gestured for her to sit and took the chair opposite, "I was at Godric's Hollow before I went after Peter, I found, well you know what I found," his eyes grew distant, "Anyway, Harry was hurt, a cut on his forehead, so I healed him. I never got a chance to cast a spell at Peter when I caught up with him and the rest you know." Amelia nodded, the theory confirmed,

"I am also curious to the purpose of this meeting, you mentioned Harry Potter in your letter," Black nodded,

"Yes he is the main reason I requested this meeting, although there are other perks," he twirled his wand in his fingers but the moment of levity was brief, "As Godfather and as I was named as the person to take custody of Harry in the wills I am aware I legally have custody of Harry and I wished to inform you of my intentions to take Harry into my care. There is nothing the Ministry can do legally but I wished to inform you of it and to reassure you I have nothing but good intentions for the boy and I am working in his best interests."

"But surely taking the boy from a loving home would be the opposite of his best interests." She trailed off as Black stood abruptly and she could suddenly see why people had been capable of believing he was a Death Eater.

"Loving home, caring relatives," he twisted the words mockingly, "I would never press for custody if that was the case. No those relatives of his are anything but. Is it normal for a child to be so thin you can feel their ribs even through school robes and even if you only touched them for an instant? Is it normal for a child to flinch backwards the moment you raise your hand as if expecting a blow? Is it normal for a child to be alone on a street at midnight with all their belongings and nowhere to go? Is it normal for a child to immediately agree to go and live with someone they have only believed is innocent for half an hour and actually be happy to do so?" He turned towards her and she could see the rage and pain in his eyes, "No it isn't, I've been there and I can read the signs clearly and that's what makes me so determined to get him out of there." He sighed and turned back to her, "I will do it either with or without Ministry approval it's your choice but no matter what I am going to get my godson out of there. I will not let him get hurt any further. I made a mistake twelve years ago and Harry paid the price for it, but now I'm free I will do everything in my power to care for him, to protect him, to love him. What are you going to choose?" Black collapsed down onto his chair and waited for a reply.

Amelia sat stunned. The level of passion that had poured out of Black astounded her and she had to concede that he cared greatly for the boy but not only that the accusations that he had made were staggering. Forcing herself to be objective she cast her mind back through the memory Potter had provided, little things were beginning to make sense, the riot of emotions, the way he had immediately agreed with Black, the joy she had felt accompanying that event, and then the other issues that Moody had brought up, she hadn't really thought on it at the time but Moody had picked up something odd when he had spoken to Potter, especially when he asked to be able to keep his memory. She came to a decision, she wasn't completely sure about the potential abuse or neglect but she could remember that Potter had actually agreed to live with Black and there were no legal grounds she could oppose it one. She sucked in a deep breath,

"I'm going out on a limb here and Merlin help me if I get this wrong but as long as you have proof you have suitable accommodation you have the Ministry's backing."

"Would you like the proof now?" Amelia just nodded, hoping her intuition was right, "I'm afraid I can't tell you the address, the property is under the Fidelus and surrounded by so many wards not even Voldemort could get through," She raised an eyebrow, "My uncle was rather paranoid, worse than Moody if you can believe it." Amelia snorted, she could vaguely remember Alphard Black and if Black was living in his old home she was certain the wards would be formidable to say the least. "But luckily there is an easy way to prove it, Nixie!"

With a loud pop a house-elf dressed in an immaculate uniform adorned with the Crest of House Black appeared, "Master called?" Black nodded kindly at the elf,

"Nixie, Madame Bones has some questions for you regarding my home, I request you answer her completely and utterly truthfully." For the next half an hour the little elf waxed lyrical about the house, describing the rooms and fittings in great detail. Amelia also noticed the elf took great delight in mentioning frequently the near disasters which had occurred when Sirius Black had been introduced to a paintbrush and paint and from the crimson tint that was creeping up Black's cheeks she gathered that every incident was the complete and unedited truth. Eventually she put him out of his misery, "I think I've heard enough Nixie," after a nod from her master the elf disappeared and Amelia turned to Sirius Black. "You definitely appear to have satisfactory accommodation," and with a sly grin she couldn't resist adding, "I'm sure your house-elf will taken care of some of the more eventful incidences." Black just shook his head,

"Thank you for your time Madam Bones and thank you for Harry."

* * *

A/N


	9. Number 4 Privet Drive

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Abuse shown in this chapter. Now that's out of the way...

Chapter 8 – Number 4 Privet Drive

"Boy!" The shout rang through the house. Slowly the ragged form of Harry Potter pulled himself upright, his hands were trembling but he hardly noticed. He had passed the point of pain and now he was just numb and unfeeling, he was just going through the motions, to get through the day one step at a time until he would be sent back to his cupboard and he could finally relax slightly and allow himself to feel again. "I'm coming Uncle Vernon," he muttered as he dragged himself back into the kitchen where his uncle was waiting for him. As he entered the room his uncle grabbed the front of his shirt yanking him forwards. With a yelp Harry fell forwards, hitting the floor, "Get up," snarled his uncle, "You worthless freak stand up and cook our lunch."

"Yes sir," Harry replied dully as he stood again. His uncle just sneered and slapped him round the face,

"And that's for not getting here fast enough." Harry didn't reply knowing that if he said anything or contested the punishment his uncle would just hit him again, and that time he would hit him harder. Blinking back the moisture that had sprung into his eyes with his uncle's slap he set about collecting the variety of ingredients he needed to cook the lunch. For the first few days cooking had been an absolute torture, there was food in front of him and he could smell it clearly but he couldn't reach out and take even the smallest morsel or his uncle would beat him. The sight and smell of cooking food had made his body demand food and had strengthened the constant ache which had accompanied him for those days. But gradually his body he learnt that no matter what food it could sense was available it would get nothing and the aches had gradually subsided so gradually he had started to look forward to the times he had to cook. It was one of the few times in the day he knew he was safe from his uncle, he wouldn't get hit when he was cooking because both his uncle and his cousin were so keen to get their lunch they would not do anything to endanger it, so he was safe from their fists but not from their words.

"What are you boy?" his uncle demanded,

"A freak, Uncle Vernon."

"And what are freaks?"

"Worthless, Uncle Vernon."

"And what don't freaks deserve?"

"A normal family like yours Uncle Vernon."

"And what will freaks never be?"

"Loved, Uncle Vernon."

Harry answered each question flatly as his uncle repeated the questions again and again. He knew the answers by heart and he knew that no matter how much it hurt him his uncle was entirely right. He was a freak even in the Wizarding World and he didn't deserve a family. His parents had died for him, he had killed them, even though Voldemort had cast the curse if he hadn't been there they wouldn't have died. It was his fault, it was always his fault. Although he longed for a family of his own he knew he would never get one and if he did he would destroy it. Everything he did, everyone he touched ended up hurt, Hermione had ended up Petrified because he hadn't worked out what he was hearing, Ron's wand had been broken and he had received a Howler because the barrier wouldn't open for him, Professor Lupin had resigned because he had been out in the grounds because of Harry, his parents were dead because he existed and Sirius had nearly received the Kiss because of him. He was a freak and didn't deserve Sirius, he didn't deserve somebody who cared for him because he was a freak and worthless.

As soon as the meal was finished he was given a glass of water and sent out of the room with instructions to completely clean the sitting room, as "Dear Yvonne is coming for the afternoon tomorrow." Mechanically he set about the task making sure everything was absolutely spotless, if there was still any obvious dirt after the 6 o'clock news he was guaranteed extra hits from Uncle Vernon, maybe even with the belt.

He was dusting the china figurines when the news reports caught his interest. "New evidence that has been brought to light has proved that the notorious mass murderer Sirius Black was in fact framed for the crimes which saw him spend twelve years behind bars before his shock escape last summer, he has since received a full pardon and his freedom. The public is informed..."

Harry heard nothing more. Sirius was free, Sirius was free, the thought was beating around his head getting louder and louder with each passing moment. His godfather was free. His mind flashed immediately to the conversation he had had with Sirius on his way out of the Shrieking Shack, Sirius had offered him a home and he had wanted Harry. He had said that once he was free Harry could come and live with him. Would he remember he had said that? Would Sirius come and take him away? Harry knew he didn't deserve to have someone that cared for him but he vowed if Sirius came for him, if he actually cared for Harry despite the fact he was nothing more than a worthless freak, Harry would be so good that Sirius would never have any worries about him, he would do all the chores for him and make himself really useful so he would never be sent back to the Dursleys and maybe, just maybe Sirius would care for him in return and look after him.

His uncle's voice broke into his thoughts, "Worthless freak, I bet he paid someone handsomely for his freedom. Look at him, he's up to no good, he'll never come to anything I'd bet my life on it." Something inside him snapped.

Suddenly Harry was enormously angry, he didn't care when his uncle told him he was worthless, he knew it was true but his uncle was sitting here saying that Sirius, his godfather, the only person who had actually been kind to him was a worthless freak and it wasn't true, it would never be true. How dare his uncle sit there and say that when Sirius Black was ten thousand times the man Vernon Dursley would ever be. "He isn't!" The cry was torn from Harry before he even realised he had spoken.

His uncle stood slowly, towering over the slight figure of the boy in front of him. "He's a worthless freak just like you," he thundered, "And both of you will rot in hell, worthless creatures that you are!" The anger rose higher and higher, at the edge of his consciousness he registered that the ornaments in their glass cases were starting to rattle as raw unadulterated magic surged out of him. "He's not worthless," he yelled, his fury was so high it consumed him, dominating his every thought and movement. His magic lashed around him, soon the whole room was shaking, "You are, you're the freaks. Each one of you. You're worthless, you're ugly, you're foul. I hate you! I hate you!" He screamed.

Uncle Vernon's face had been growing redder and redder as Harry had continued, letting all his feelings out for the first time in his life and eventually his uncle's rage broke through his fear of magic. With a roar his hand came up and he struck Harry square across the face. Harry reeled backwards his arms coming up instinctively to protect his face his body curling into a foetal position, waiting for the next blow to land. Hands sunk into his arms digging into the skin as Uncle Vernon roughly yanked him upright, dragging him through the hall and throwing him bodily into the cupboard. The sound of ten locks clicking shut followed shortly after. As the final bolt shot home he heard his uncle's voice, "Tomorrow you will with you had never been born boy."

The darkness surrounded him but this time it provided little comfort. His eyes stung from the bright light of the sitting room and his face and arms throbbed where his uncle's blows had landed. More than anything he wanted Sirius, he wanted someone to come, to tell him everything would be alright, to tell him he was safe. For the first time that summer he was frightened. Frightened of what his uncle would do in the morning, frightened Sirius had forgotten him, frightened Sirius would never come, frightened he would never make it back to Hogwarts in September, frightened for himself.

The tears came then and he couldn't stop them. Alone in his cupboard, Harry Potter wept.

* * *

Sirius Black couldn't prevent the wide smile that spread across his face, he was free and he was going to get his godson. Soon his godson would be safe, safe with him and Harry would never have to go back to those monsters ever again. But as he apparated to the corner of Privet Drive his elation faded and worry took its place, Harry had spent nearly three weeks with those people, what if they'd done something, what if Harry was hurt? His pace quickened and within a few seconds he was striding into the garden of Number 4 Privet Drive. Not prepared to waste any more time he raised his hand and knocked sharply on the door. A thin bony woman with a pinched face whom he recognised as Petunia opened the door, the moment she caught sight of Sirius she screamed and tried to slam the door in his face but he caught the edge of the door and held it open.

"Vernon..." she gasped, "Vernon," The large burly man shouldered his way into the doorway and stared at Sirius with undisguised hatred,

"Clear off," he growled, "We don't want any of your lot here. Yet going." To the dog animagus the growls were distinctly unimpressive and he just stood in the doorway glaring; almost of his own violation his wand appeared in his hand. "I want my godson," he growled in reply letting a little of Azkaban colour his voice. He was pleased to see Vernon blanch and take a step backwards, clearing enough space for Sirius to enter the house and shut the door behind him.

"I..I don't know what you're talking about," he squeaked but Sirius was not in the mood for playing around. Bringing up his wand he pointed it straight at Vernon's eyes,

"Where. Is. Harry. Potter?" Vernon had taken several more steps backwards and his eyes were locked on Sirius's wand.

"You..you're one of those...those FREAKS." Sirius just glared dangerously,

"I won't ask again Dursley, WHERE IS MY GODSON?" The man glanced away guiltly but Sirius followed his eyes, it was then he noticed the ten dead-lock bolts affixed to the tiny door of the cupboard under the stairs. With a roar of fury Sirius slashed his wand downwards and the three Dursleys found themselves in the full body bind lying on the kitchen floor. With the Dursleys out of the way Sirius turned on trembling legs to face the cupboard, now the hall was quiet he could hear the soft sound of sobs coming from the cupboard. Forcing the fury down he reached out and slowly slid back the bolts, he could rant and rave in private but right now Harry needed him and Harry would always take priority.

* * *

Harry lay shivering in his cupboard, he could hear raised voices, shouting and he curled up tighter. Uncle Vernon was mad and he knew that this time his uncle would not be content with just bruises, he would bring out the belt and he would bleed before the night was out. The voices were getting louder and louder but it was getting harder and harder to hear them, they crackled like a badly tuned radio but amongst the jumbled sounds he thought he heard his godfather's voice calling for him, asking for him. But that was impossible, Sirius wouldn't come, no one ever did. And then suddenly the silence fell, more awful than the shouting that had preceded it. Harry pulled himself as far back into his cupboard and sobbed in pure terror. His uncle was coming for him and all he could do was wait. Then slowly, terribly he heard the sound of the bolts being pulled back.

The door was flung open and the light stabbed at his eyes. The pain was so intense he screamed, the figure leaning towards him jerked backwards, but quickly recovered, the figure said something but Harry couldn't hear anything over the ringing in his ears. A hand reached in and automatically he shrunk backwards, "Please Uncle Vernon, please don't hurt me," he begged his voice cracking. Through watering eyes Harry saw the figure jerk backwards as if stung but Harry didn't waste any more time staring. Screwing his eyes tightly shut to reduce some of the pain he pulled himself into the tightest ball he could and tensed waiting for the first blow.

* * *

Sirius couldn't believe his eyes as he pulled the cupboard door open, inside it was filthy and pressed right against the back was his godson, even though it had only been a few weeks Harry seemed so much smaller and his emerald eyes that stared at Sirius were clouded and filled with terror. His scream was filled with an agony so strong Sirius recoiled from the sheer force of it and the sound sent a knife straight into his heart. And when he leaned forward once more the sight of his pup flinching backwards and the terror that laced his voice as he pleaded with his uncle caused Sirius's already bruised heart to shatter into a million tiny pieces. For a moment he just stared at his pup whilst thoughts of elaborate revenge on the Dursley's ran through his mind but the sight of Harry cowering in the corner of the cupboard, waiting for a blow to fall snapped him out of it.

Harry needed him and he had already let him down once and he would not let himself do so again. Hesitantly, praying it was the right thing to do he leaned forward so he was almost inside the cupboard then reached his hand towards Harry and placed it very gently on the teen's hair. He could feel Harry stiffen the moment he touched him but he didn't remove his hand and very very softly he began to stroke the boy's hair, murmuring reassurances as he did so, trying desperately to calm him.

Harry tensed at the touch waiting for the inevitable blow that would follow but to his complete and utter surprise instead of hitting him the figure ran their fingers through Harry's messy black hair murmuring as they did so. Even though he couldn't hear the words that clearly the tone was unmistakable, the voice speaking to him was full of love and kindness and the fingers that were still carding tenderly through his hair showed the care more clearly than any words could convey. Unconsciously he began to relax as hope sprang to life inside him burning more brightly than it had ever done before. There was only one person who had ever shown him that level of affection and only one person he had ever expected to come for him. "Sirius?" he whispered brokenly.

"Yes pup it's me," Sirius's voice trembled with so much emotion Harry wanted to reach out towards him and comfort him. Slowly, braced for the pain he opened his eyes, wincing as the light stabbed his irises but doggedly keeping them open as he stared at the face of his rescuer. Sirius's face was wet with tears and his eyes showed a deep sorrow but at the same time the love was so obvious in the clear grey eyes. And still Sirius's hand was stroking unerringly through his hair. He couldn't remember a time before when he had felt so loved and he desperately wanted to feel he belonged with this man, his godfather, he wanted to feel that he was loved and secure.

As if he had read his mind Sirius reached out with his free hand and drew Harry towards him, gently pulling the child into his arms and pressing him into his chest. Harry didn't fight him, just relaxed in his arms burying his face into Sirius's shirt to hide the wetness that was pricking in the corner of his eyes. Never before had he felt so safe, so loved and he relaxed against his godfather soaking in the love and affection that surrounded him.

Sirius smiled through his tears as he wrapped Harry in an embrace and held him close not minding the wetness that started to soak through his shirt. Slowly, to avoid startling his pup he stood, pulling Harry up with him. As he regained his feet he felt a thin pair of arms encircle him in a desperate grip, almost instantly in response Sirius tightened his own hold, "It's okay Harry, you're safe now," he murmured over and over again until the desperate grip slackened somewhat although he noticed Harry never actually let go.

"Is all your stuff in the cupboard?" he asked quietly, and he felt Harry nod against his chest. With a single flick of his wand the trunk and all the other belongings were shrunk and placed in a pocket of his robes. "Now shall we get the hell out of here?" Another nod. Sirius reached up to ruffle his hair, "Lets go then."

Ignoring the Dursleys who were still bound on the kitchen floor Sirius, still keeping a tight hold on Harry headed for the door but they had not gone more than three steps before Harry crumpled against him. Instinctively Sirius responded, keeping a tight grip on the teen he swung Harry up into his arms, cradling him against his chest. To his shock he realised Harry was now extremely thin, he couldn't have weighed more than a young child. He was certain that when he had last seen Harry the boy had so much more weight than he did now. "What have they done to you?" he murmured as he strode out of the house carrying his godson securely. Worries assaulted him from all sides, he was now positive Harry had been beaten and judging from his weight he had been starved as well, and then he had collapsed, but even before that he was in pain. He had to get home immediately, his arms locked around his godson as he apparated, he could only hope he wasn't too late and those monsters had done something he would never be able to undo.

* * *

Glad you are all enjoying it and I hope you enjoy the cliffhanger (insert evil grin here) and before I get shouted at for the length of time people can go without food I would like to point out I did do my research first. The record for someone surviving on just water is 60 days and a man named David Baine regularly does 40+ days on just water and no food so I think it is conceivable Harry would be able to survive around 20 days on just water, especially as he is also magical.

Thanks for the reviews and see you next time.  
Sorry hadn't proof read this properly so I re updated it.


	10. Healing

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 9 – Healing**

Sirius raced towards the fire in the sitting room. His godson still hadn't regained consciousness, not even when he apparated and Sirius knew from experience that the sensation was more than a little unnerving when you first started. There are almost been a disaster with the wards but thankfully since Sirius had already keyed him into the wards he was able to carry his pup inside even though he had collapsed before he knew the secret, he didn't know what he'd have done if he had been unable to get Harry onto Black Island. He threw a frantic glance back towards the still form of his godson, still there was no change. He needed help and he needed it now.

Throwing a handful of floo powder into the fireplace he stuck his head into the flames, calling out Andromeda Tonks as he did so. His favourite cousin had always dreamed of becoming a healer and she had received a placement at St Mungo's soon after she graduated, he could only hope she wasn't at work and she had heard of his innocence. He was in luck.

Andromeda Tonks leapt up with a muttered oath as she saw her cousin's head appear in the fireplace, "Siri what?" Instantly he raced into an explanation, by the time he had finished she was still standing there shocked, she hadn't taken in a single word he'd said. Biting back one of his more colourful phrases Sirius forced himself to begin again and this time to speak at a speed that was comprehensible at least. "Andy, Harry's ill or hurt, I don't know, he just collapsed when I went to pick him up, he still hasn't regained consciousness, please could you come over right now? The address is Padfoot's Den, I'm on Black Island." There was no mistaking the plea in his voice. Without waiting for an answer he pulled himself out of the fireplace and added her name to the wards to ensure she would be able to get through. Even though she was of Black blood the wards were designed to keep everyone out.

Within minutes the flames turned emerald green and Andromeda stepped out of the fireplace her healer equipment held loosely in one hand. The moment she was in the house Sirius beckoned her over to the sofa his godson lay on. She sucked in a deep breath as she caught sight of Harry, the bruises from his uncle's beating stood in stark relief against the pale skin that seemed to cling to his bones. Even in unconsciousness the boy seemed to be in pain and it was painfully obvious his bones stood out prominently, covered by nothing more than a thin layer of skin. "Who did this to him?" she gasped out. Sirius glanced up at her and an ugly expression flashed across his features, "Those thrice damned bastards that call themselves his Aunt and Uncle." Shock flashed across her face but regardless of her reaction her healer training kicked in and her wand was up and moving almost of its own violation performing scans and taking readers.

Throughout the whole process Sirius merely sat by Harry's side, never taking his eyes off the teen, thoughts flashing through his mind so fast he couldn't see where one worry ended and the next began. What if he never woke up, what if the condition was irreversible, what if Harry had already sustained permanent damage? Andromeda's soft "Merlin," broke him out of his thoughts. Worry etched in his face he turned to her a question in his eyes.

"He's suffering from severe malnutrition, I would estimate he hasn't eaten properly, if at all for several weeks. He is extremely fatigued and he has become light sensitive, I wouldn't be surprised if there were also problems with his other senses. Thankfully those are all side effects of the malnutrition and should clear up after a few days on a proper diet. The other issue is that he is heavily bruised and cut. This wouldn't be much of an issue normally but the problem is due to the malnutrition his body lacks the proteins to repair the damage."

"You can do something though," Sirius interjected, fear clouding his face. Andromeda sighed,

"I can spell a nutrient potion and some fluids into his stomach to give him a bit of a boost but malnutrition is something that will take a long time to clear up. I can give him enough to get him through the night but after that all that can be done is ensure he gets fed proper meals at regular intervals and gets plenty of sleep. Nutrient potions twice daily should help with the malnutrition but it will still be several weeks, if not a couple of months before he is completely healthy again. As for the bruising, bruise paste should reduce some of the pain and swelling but there is little it can do without the resources in the body and those he simply doesn't have and there is nothing magic can do to help with that." She smiled sympathetically as Sirius sighed.

"But he'll be okay eventually?" Andromeda nodded,

"What those creatures did will be healed Siri. Now," suddenly she became brisk and businesslike, "He will be very weak for several days and is likely to spend a lot of time sleeping and he is not to do any strenuous activity for a least a month to give his body time to recover. Keep him in a dim room until his light sensitivity decreases; it should only take a few days. In terms of food it is important he has a balanced diet which is high in protein and vitamins and regular meal times. For the first several days he won't be able to eat large meals so it is important that you feed him little and often, say about every two hours. His body will not be able to cope with large quantities of food at this point so trying to give him proper meals at this point will just make him sick so I wouldn't recommend returning to regular meals for a week, by that point his body should have become accustomed to food once more. Ensure he has plenty of fluid and drinks regularly as well. Nutrient potions should be taken three times a day for the first month after which the dose will probably go down to two. Pain relievers and bruise paste can be used at your discretion but don't take them within an hour of the nutrient potions." She grasped her cousin's shoulder,

"Harry will be fine Sirius, I'll spell the first lot of potions into him now and leave the first week's dose with you. I'll have to check up on him weekly anyway so I can bring the next dose then." She smiled slightly as the potions vanished, "Why don't you go put him to bed Siri? The poor child's exhausted, he'll sleep till morning without a doubt and you look as if you could do with a rest as well." Sirius laughed but the sound was slightly strained as his gaze stayed fixed on his godson. Andromeda patted his shoulder, "You got to him in time Sirius, Harry will be fine. I'll leave the rest of the potions on the table there and you go and sort yourself out. Merlin knows you need it." She paused then added quietly, "I'm glad you didn't betray them Sirius. I couldn't really believe it off you, and I'm glad someone is actually looking out for the boy now." She paused slightly then added the last bit, "I'm glad you got to him when you did, if he had stayed there I'm not sure he would have made it through the summer."

Sirius went cold as her last words penetrated. He might have lost his godson, if he had headed abroad, if he hadn't cleared his name Harry might not have made it to September. Finally he managed to summon his voice again, "Thanks Andy, at least I know that no matter how bad it looks now he will recover." Andromeda nodded decisively,

"Yes he will Sirius. Well then I'll see you in a week." Sirius nodded in her direction but his attention had been diverted straight back to his godson. In a single swift movement he scooped Harry up into his arms and carrying he carefully he headed upstairs to the room he had spent hours decorating.

Settling the boy down into the large bed Sirius was struck by how young his godson looked and how fragile. His thin chest rose and fell, the only sign the child was still alive, but even in that slight movement his ribs could be seen clearly against his clothes. Harry was small, too small and Sirius knew that if he didn't know that his godson was nearly fourteen he would have thought he was nine or ten, eleven perhaps. Gently he reached out and brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes. His godson looked so helpless, so fragile, it looked to Sirius like a breeze could break him. His heart broke again as he thought how close he had come to losing his pup, leaning over he placed a light kiss on the boy's forehead, he was here now and he wasn't going to let anything else hurt his godson, his child. He would protect Harry to the very end, even at the cost of his own life.

With a flick of his wand Harry's trunk and belongings flew out of his pockets, resized and placed themselves haphazardly in one corner of the room to be dealt with later. Another flick of the wand and he conjured up a comfortable armchair for himself. Both Andy's warnings and Harry's reaction when he had arrived at the Dursleys told him beyond a doubt that he would need to be here when Harry woke. Leaning back Sirius settled down, his watchful eyes never leaving his godson as he waited for Harry to wake.

* * *

Harry was first aware of an unfamiliar sensation; he was comfortable despite the lingering soreness from layer upon layer of bruises, something that had never happened at the Dursley's before. He shifted slightly, the movement making him immediately aware there was something soft covering him and he was warm. Why was he warm? He kept his eyes tight shut as he considered the question, searching his memory for any clue to what was happening.

The memory of his godfather's face rose in his mind. Sirius had come for him, he had held him, comforted him in a way no adult before him ever had. He could remember feeling safe and cared for and then he could remember Sirius leading him towards the door then nothing, and now he had woken in the strange place. The answer came crashing down on him. He had been dreaming, he had dreamt Sirius had taken him away, and he was still dreaming now. He knew he ought to open his eyes, it would only be worse when he actually woke up if he didn't but he didn't want to. He wanted to cling onto the feeling of love and security he could remember surrounding him. Even if it was nothing more than his imagination he wanted so desperately to feel like he belonged somewhere that he was loath to let the dream go and wake up. It had been such a good dream.

A slight sound off to his side made his mind up. If he was caught whilst still asleep by his uncle the results would not be pretty. Resignedly he opened his eyes but he shut them again almost instantly, he was still dreaming it seemed, for the sight which had met his eyes defiantly wasn't that of his cupboard. Cautiously he opened his eyes again only to be met with the exact same sight although this time he was aware of a slight stinging in his eyes as he took in the sight before him. The room was dim, but it was definitely a room not a cupboard, the walls were painted a pale shade but what caught his eye were the Gryffindor banners hanging from the ceiling and the numerous photographs and pictures that hung on each wall, He squinted slightly trying to make out details but the light was far too dim. He turned his head slightly in order to take in more of the room when suddenly he froze. He shut his eyes tightly then reopened them; not daring to believe what he saw was real.

His godfather lay sprawled in a large chair beside the bed. His eyes were closed and it was clear that he was sleeping, but even in sleep his face was turned towards Harry and he appeared to be watching over him. Harry felt his breath catch in his throat, Sirius was the perfect image of a parent falling asleep by their child's side and it was obvious from his posture that the child was Harry. All his life Harry had dreamed of having parents or someone who would care for him and treat him like a son, seeing Sirius waiting for him, caring for him was a dream come true, he couldn't believe it was real. "That's because it isn't" a small voice in the back of his mind whispered, "You'll never have a family of your own."

Harry tore his eyes away from the sleeping figure of his godfather, he couldn't allow himself to hope, couldn't allow himself to believe, it would only make it that much worse when he finally did wake up. He already knew that the images he already had would torment and taunt him for the next several days and nights, a mocking reminder of what could never be. He pulled his knees up to his chest, "It's not real, it's not real," he repeated over and over, frantically trying to make himself believe the words despite the yearning in his heart.

* * *

Sirius jerked awake the moment Harry started speaking, blinking his eyes to remove the sleep he was disorientated for a moment before he remembered the events of the evening before, concerned, his gaze snapped immediately to his godson. Relief swept through him as he saw Harry was awake and alert and he was on his feet and at the bedside before the words penetrated. When they did coldness swept through him, Harry was so accustomed to the conditions that he had to endure at the Dursley's that he couldn't accept it as true when something finally went his way. Sirius felt a lump rise in his throat; no child should be unable to accept goodness in their lives because experience had taught them it was never real.

"Harry it's okay, it's real," he whispered comfortingly but the teen just shook his head and repeated his mantra, unwilling to let himself believe the words were true. Slowly, to avoid startling his pup Sirius laid his hand on Harry's shoulder, hoping that the contact would in some small measure help to reassure the boy of the reality. He felt Harry relax slightly at his touch but still he continued to repeat the statement, his voice getting louder and louder with each repetition. He needed to get Harry to realise the truth before he worked himself into a panic.

"How do I prove that this is real?" he asked quietly. The rush of words stopped as Harry considered the question and the silence began to stretch, but Harry still didn't answer. "What couldn't you ever imagine?" Sirius asked gently, hoping it would be something he could actually do. He wished he had a less risky strategy but he had to get Harry to calm down and he was running out of options.

Harry fell silent as he wracked his brains for something he was sure he would never make up, something he would never imagine, would never dream, could never dream. Finally the answer came to him, raising suspiciously bright eyes to the figure of his godfather he whispered, "Being loved." He closed his eyes waiting for the proof that would send him straight back to reality.

"Harry, oh Harry," he heard Sirius say, then a pair of strong arms encircled him and drew him towards the animagus, pressing his face into the rough fabric of his godfather's shirt. One hand reached up and buried itself in his hair whilst the other held him securely as Sirius murmured reassurances and comfort. Gradually he opened his eyes and tilted his head back to look the older wizard in the eye. Love was shown clearly in Sirius's grey eyes as he continued to hold his godson. Harry relaxed further into the embrace as he felt his godfather's love wash over him and surround him. "Is it really true?" he whispered brokenly,

"Yes," Sirius's soft voice answered, "It's real Harry, you're safe now, the Dursleys will never hurt you again I promise." Harry wanted to believe him, he wanted to feel this was real and just to relax completely in the love that surrounded him but there were still gaps he couldn't explain, "How did I get here?" he asked quietly, hoping the older wizard would have the answers. Sirius's voice was tight as he answered and Harry felt his grip tighten.

"You collapsed as we left the Dursleys. I carried you here, you were unconscious. I was so worried Harry." Harry felt joy bubble up inside him with those words, Sirius had cared, had worried about him but he still had one more question,

"Do you love me?" His voice trembled at the end, he knew he sounded like a five year old but he didn't care, he wanted the answer to be yes so badly it hurt, he wanted to know he belonged with someone. Sirius drew him even closer, "Always pup," he answered, his own voice cracking, "I'll always love you." Harry flung his arms around his godfather and clung to him, pressing his face into Sirius's chest to hide the tears that were streaming down his face. It was real, Sirius loved him and he would never have to return to the Dursleys. His godfather held him close, his own tears flowing fast as his godson held him in a desperate embrace. Very quietly he murmured words of comfort, holding Harry tightly as he cried, finally realising he was home.

* * *

And that's chapter 9 folks. Thank you so much for all the reviews, I'm pleased and humbled by the interest you have shown in this story, particularly as it is my first fic. Glad you're all enjoying it and look out for the next update in a few days.

Please review.


	11. Belonging

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 10 – Belonging**

Eventually the tears ceased, Sirius had held him the entire time, now he released him slightly, allowing Harry to move backwards so he could get a good look at him. "Alright now pup?" Harry just nodded, not trusting himself to speak, Sirius smiled warmly down at him, "How about some breakfast then?" Harry nodded again, slightly overwhelmed with it all. His dream had turned out to be real; he was living with his godfather who had actually told him that he loved him and even though his tears had soaked through Sirius's shirt the older wizard hadn't punished him; instead he had hugged him and let him cry.

Harry was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed that his godfather had reached down to pick him up. "What are you doing?" he gasped out as his godfather hoisted him up into his arms.

"Carrying you downstairs of course," Sirius answered as if he thought it was obvious. Immediately Harry flushed scarlet with embarrassment,

"I'm not a baby," he protested as he struggled against the animagus's grip. Somewhat surprisingly he discovered not only were his struggles ineffectual, they had absolutely no effect on his godfather who just stood patiently, waiting for him to stop. After about thirty seconds Harry gave up and he was shocked to find he felt drained, almost as if he had been working in the garden for the last four hours. Once he was satisfied Harry had completely stopped Sirius gazed down at his godson, "Last night you collapsed on me before you had taken three steps, scared the hell out of me too," he added, the ghost of a smile touching his lips, but his expression quickly turned serious again, "You were starved for the last few weeks and are extremely weak because of that so forgive me if I'm not going to take any chances." His faced softened, "I don't think you're a baby Harry but I am not going to do anything to endanger you." He smiled at his godson but Harry could see the worry still clearly marking his features.

A warm feeling rushed up inside him as he listened to Sirius's words and as the animagus started walking once more a long forgotten instinct rose up in him, leaning back slightly he rested his head against his godfather's shoulder and closed his eyes, trusting Sirius to keep him safe. He heard the man's sharp intake of breath as Sirius registered the action and he opened his eyes, looking curiously at his godfather. "What is it Sirius?" The animagus glanced down at him, a distant look in his eyes,

"You just took me by surprise that's all," at Harry's questioning look he continued, "I can't count the number of times I saw you like that as a baby; you absolutely loved being carried. Nearly every time I'd come over I'd see you being carried by James, your head resting against his shoulder. We had to let you go to sleep on the shoulder of whoever was holding you whenever it was time for your nap or you wouldn't go to sleep," Sirius chuckled, "It drove Lily absolutely wild when she couldn't get you to settle down in your cot, she was hoping you'd grow out of it before you got too big to be held comfortably." Harry listened with rapt attention, he knew hardly anything about his parents and his first year and he hoped Sirius would be willing to tell him more stories and talk about his parents, even if the things he told him about were embarrassing he wanted to know as much as he could. His parents were nothing more than images to him, they didn't quite feel like real people and even though he missed them they still didn't feel wholly true to him. Hopefully Sirius would be able to tell him enough to fill in the void and make his parents people he could relate to rather than pictures.

Gently Sirius placed Harry on a corner of the sofa and the boy quickly wriggled round into an upright position looking confused. Sirius just grinned at him and sat down next to him pulling the coffee table towards them as he did so. "I thought we could eat in here for a few days." He said in response to the unasked question, "It would probably be better if you didn't move around too much for a few days." Harry grimaced but nodded, it was more than a little annoying, he was effectively confined to the sitting room and the bedroom he had spent the night in but the drained feeling he had experienced after struggling for no more than a few seconds was enough to convince him that he needed to rest, he was just surprised he was going to be allowed to. Still, he conceded, Sirius was nothing like the Dursleys, so maybe the man's expectations would be different.

"Harry," his godfather's voice broke into his thoughts and he shot a question at the man with his eyes, "I was wondering what you would like for breakfast?" Immediately Harry started to try and get up, while he had been caught up in his thoughts breakfast still needed to be made, already his vow to be good was being broken. Firmly Sirius pushed him back down onto the sofa. "You are not going anywhere pup until you've eaten." Bewilderment crossed his face,

"But I should cook, I always cook." Sirius shook his head,

"Not here you don't," he said, ruffling the boy's hair, "Nixie would have my head and yours if we even did so much as step foot in her precious kitchen."

"Nixie?"

"Our house-elf, lovely creature if a bit enthusiastic, especially when it comes to food and calling me Master." Harry snickered, hiding the thrill that went through him at the word 'our'. Was he finally going to get a family? "Sounds a bit like Dobby."

"Dobby?" Sirius questioned.

"A hyperactive house-elf I tricked Malfoy into freeing at the end of my second year. He is absolutely obsessed with me now and insists on calling me Master and he would do anything for me." Sirius let loose a bark like laugh.

"You can tell me that story later pup, now what do you want for breakfast?" Harry bit his lip indecisively, he didn't want to upset his godfather by asking for too much or the wrong thing, finally he reached an acceptable answer, "I don't really mind," he said quietly. Sirius shot him a look that said plainly that he didn't believe him but thankfully he didn't press the issue. "Nixie," he called and instantly a small elf popped into the room,

"Master called?" she asked in her squeaky voice. Sirius nodded,

"I need breakfast for the two of us, but remember Andromeda's instructions; he can have the other part in a few hours time okay?" The elf nodded and vanished. Sirius ran a hand through his hair and turned towards his godson sucking a deep breath as he did so, "You are going to have to take nutrient potions for the next several months I'm afraid, also you won't be able to eat large meals for at least a week," the faintest hint of a grin touched his features, "In fact I'm under strict orders to feed you little and often so you are going to be eating six small meals a day for a week. If you eat too much at once before your body is used to food again it will make you sick." Harry nodded his acceptance immediately, he was well aware of the consequences of eating when he wasn't used to it. He had learnt that the hard way his first night at Hogwarts, whilst the Dursley's had never starved him to the extent they had this summer, he had never eaten much and stuffing himself at the Feast had resulted in him losing the vast majority of the food that night. It was not an experience he particularly wanted to repeat.

In a matter of minutes Nixie had returned with a large tray containing a variety of food and a potion for Harry. Grimacing he grabbed the potion and swallowed it in a single gulp, the hours in the Hospital Wing had taught him that all potions that were beneficial were invariably foul and he didn't want to have to taste it more than he absolutely had to. Cereal was then placed in front of him and he had to force himself to eat at a moderate pace instead of scoffing the food down, another thing he knew was guaranteed to make him sick if he did it on an empty stomach.

Soon the pair of them were finished and Sirius turned towards his godson, "So what do you want to do today?" He held up one hand, "Strenuous activities are forbidden for a month and I doubt you are going to be up to much today anyway." He tousled the boy's already messy hair, "I don't mind what you want provided it doesn't endanger you, your life or your health in any way." The teen considered the question for a moment before looking up shyly,

"Could you tell me some stories about my parents please, as long as it's not too much trouble? It's just that I don't know very much and..." His voice trailed off and his gaze dropped as he studied the floor intently. Sirius reached out and cupped the boy's chin in his hand, drawing Harry's face upwards, making him look into his eyes. "Of course I'll tell you about your parents Harry, it will never be too much trouble to talk to you about them." Suddenly he found his arms full of Harry as the teen wrapped his arms around him, chanting "Thank you," over and over. Eventually Harry broke away, his expression flickering between fear and shock that he had actually hugged his godfather of his own violation. Then his gaze dropped from Sirius and he began to mumble apologies. Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder although his heart ached to see his godson apologise for something so simple as giving him a hug, "You don't need to apologise Harry. You are allowed to hug me whenever you want too, I promise I don't mind." Harry gazed up at him, his eyes full of hope. Sirius just opened his arms and waited.

After a few seconds, his eyes flickering up to Sirius's as if checking that it was okay, Harry launched himself at his godfather and wrapped the animagus in a tight hug which Sirius gladly returned, relieved that his pup believed him and was becoming more comfortable around him despite the fact no other adults previously had shown him any affection whatsoever. Sirius grinned down at his godson who grinned back sheepishly and extracted himself from the embrace. Turning towards Sirius his face shone with anticipation as he waited for his godfather to begin and Sirius couldn't prevent himself from smiling at the joy that shone from Harry's eyes. It was a far cry from the terror and pain that had marked them when he had opened the cupboard. "Alright Harry, James finally got his act together in his seventh year and asked your mum out properly. It took both me and Remus two hours to calm him down after she said yes, he was prancing round the dorm all night. He finally asked her..."

Harry listened enraptured as Sirius told story after story about his parents. Admittedly his dad featured in more than his mum did but Harry drank in every last detail, he was learning more about his parents than he had ever known before and Sirius seemed to have an almost inexhaustible font of stories. He felt like he could listen forever but a few hours, another meal and several tales later he was struggling to keep his eyes open. Sirius had warned him that he would be exhausted and weak for several days but he still tried to stay awake, however he hadn't counted on the animagus's sharp eyes.

Noticing his godson was virtually falling asleep on his lap, Sirius stopped talking and gently eased Harry down so his head was pillowed in his lap. Too tired to fight Harry allowed Sirius to lay him down and cover him lightly with a blanket. "You must think I'm a baby," he murmured drowsily as he slipped away towards sleep. The last thing he was aware of was Sirius's fingers carding through his messy hair as the animagus whispered words of comfort.

Sirius smiled tenderly as he felt his godson relax into sleep. It amazed him that despite the awful treatment Harry had received at the hands of his relatives Harry still trusted him. It had taken all he had not to do anything more permanent to those who had hurt his pup, especially last night when the extent of the abuse had become clear, but the sight of his godson sleeping peacefully against him was a powerful reminder of the fact Harry needed him and if he actually looked at himself he was forced to concede he needed Harry. He didn't know what he'd have done if he hadn't got his freedom and Harry hadn't made it through the summer. That thought reminded him of more unpleasant matters, he still had to deal with Lucius Malfoy. Even though he would much rather do anything than deal with the slimy git he knew he had to. Sighing he called quietly to Nixie, asking her to bring parchment and a quill. A frown gracing his features he began to pen a letter to Malfoy.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk sucking on a lemon drop as he mulled over the events of the day before. He had been as shocked as anyone else in the Wizangamot when Amelia Bones had presented the case for Sirius's innocence, he had been aware statements had been taken from the three students but that was standard ministry procedure, especially considering the manhunt that had existed at the time, he hadn't even been aware of the investigation. Not for the first time he wondered what Sirius had done to persuade Fudge to open a review of his case, when the man had visited the school he had been vehemently opposed to the idea of Black's innocence yet here he was supporting an investigation. He was well aware Fudge could be bought for the highest bidder and the Black family were certainly rich but how on earth had Sirius managed to get close enough to Fudge to bribe him without ending up in Azkaban? If that had been what he'd done.

Dumbledore laid that line of questioning to one side, yes it was interesting but the more pressing issue was that of Harry Potter. The wards around Privet Drive had alerted him last night when a wizard had left the property accompanied by Harry. He had instantly responded but it wasn't until he had reached the Dursleys and removed the body binds that it had become apparent what had happened. A few hours after he had been cleared Sirius had come to Privet Drive and taken Harry or Harry had gone with him willingly. In fact Dumbledore would be willing to bet money it was the later. He had been shocked to discover that the Dursleys had starved Harry and kept him in the cupboard, he had known they were slightly neglectful of course, but he knew the Blood Wards kept Harry safe and a small amount of neglect was a price worth paying for his safety in the holidays and growing up.

But now the situation had become a lot more complicated. Sirius was the legal guardian of Harry, there was nothing he could do to separate them short of throwing Sirius back in Azkaban and that was not going to happen now, especially after it was revealed he had spent twelve years there as an innocent man. It had been useful when Sirius had managed to end up in Azkaban originally, it made it much easier for Harry to be kept safe so he could fulfil his destiny. The last line of the prophecy rose in his mind once more, "neither can live whilst the other survives."

He knew Sirius would never let Harry return to the Dursleys and Dumbledore had to admit he had a good reason not to so he had to have them both in a position he could influence them, particularly if the boy was a horcrux like he suspected. He would have to manipulate them to save the rest of the Wizarding World. He sighed, the game had become a lot more complex, but he was Albus Dumbledore, he would be able to cope. He smiled slightly as a possibility occurred to him. He had intended to ask his old friend Alastor to become the DADA professor, but having Sirius in that position would allow him to have both him and Harry under his influence. Yes that would be an appropriate solution for the next year. His plans would have to be modified but the boy had to fulfil his destiny, it was for the Greater Good after all.

He heard a banging on his door as an irate Serverus Snape entered the office, brandishing the morning's Daily Prophet like an weapon. Dumbledore rubbed his temples, already he could feel the beginning of a headache forming, he sighed, it was going to be a long morning.

* * *

Life on Black Island soon settled down into a regular pattern. Sirius would wake Harry in the morning and they would eat breakfast together before Harry would do homework for two hours whilst Sirius dealt with Black family business and accounts until he was expected to eat once more, then Remus would come over and they would study defensive magic until lunch. Duels were classed as strenuous activity so he was mainly learning the spells and practicing them, martial arts, duelling and dodging were waiting until Andromeda said his body could cope. It was brilliant learning from both Remus and Sirius although Harry often found it difficult to remember he was no longer his professor and he was supposed to call him Remus or Moony. Once he had managed to call him "Professor Moony," and Sirius had laughed so hard Remus had to silence him before they could do anything else.

However whilst the mornings were reserved for work Sirius was adamant that he had fun in the afternoon. Stories of his parents, games of exploding snap and chess generally filled the afternoon and Harry was so grateful to his godfather. Sirius had taken him from the Dursleys and was giving him all the love and affection he had been denied throughout his childhood. He was more than willing to hug Harry and comfort him and although most teenagers would have resented the affection Harry was more than happy to accept it. He had never felt more loved and whenever Sirius held him he knew he was loved, safe and protected. It was everything he had ever dreamed of when he had lain lonely and afraid in his cupboard.

But even though he knew he was loved he couldn't prevent the fear that rose in him. What if he did something that stopped Sirius caring for him? So far he had been completely good; doing exactly what Sirius told him to without complaint and avoiding anything that might result in him being punished and so far he had succeeded but he knew it was only a matter of time until he did something wrong and he dreaded the day he did.

As his strength returned Sirius had begun to relax the restrictions he had placed around him. Although Sirius still carried him up and downstairs in the mornings and evenings he allowed Harry to move around downstairs provided he didn't go very far. Harry accepted the restrictions easily, the first time he had tried to walk his legs had trembled and he would have fallen if Sirius hadn't caught him and he still wasn't strong enough to walk for more than a few minutes before he needed to steady himself.

He was walking towards the bookcase to extract a book on potions for Snape's essay when it happened. His legs gave out and he fell forward, his hands clawing frantically trying to find something to hold onto to keep him upright. His fingers caught the edge of the bookcase, scrambling as they tried to find purchase against the smooth wood. The edge of his fingers caught a shelf and he hung on desperately trying to keep his balance but his sudden weight was too much for the shelf to handle. With a jerk it shot forward, caught by surprise and already falling Harry tumbled to the floor, yanking the shelf along with its contents with him.

With a thud the heavy piece of hardwood impacted the floor, narrowly missing Harry's fingers, scattering books and pages of parchment across the room. Fear burst through him, he'd done it now. The Dursley's had punished him severely for making even a fraction of the mess that littered the room, what was Sirius going to do to him now? The only thing he could do was try to reduce the mess before Sirius came to check on him. Shakily he pushed himself up only for his legs to give way again the moment he reached his feet. There was nothing he could do.

What would happen now, would this make Sirius stop loving him? Harry wished with all his heart that wouldn't happen but he knew that Sirius was going to punish him, he deserved it for creating such a large mess and this would result in the worst punishment he could get. He knew Sirius withholding his love and care would be the worst sort of punishment he could be given. To experience it and then to be denied the love would destroy him. A horrible thought struck him. What if Sirius decided he was too much trouble and sent him back to the Dursleys? The more he thought about it the more convinced he became that it would happen. He had been so much trouble for the animagus and even though Sirius didn't appear to mind it he knew it was only a matter of time before Sirius saw him for what he really was, a freak and sent him back. This incident would show his godfather that he was worthless and he would be sent back. Sirius had told him that he would love Harry forever but bitter experience had taught him that no love was unconditional, no love was forever. Everyone who had ever loved him had left him and now Sirius was going to leave as well and it would break him. Sobs forced their way out of his throat and he started to cry.

* * *

Sirius had leapt to his feet the moment he heard the crash, his mind racing through possibilities and he rushed down the stairs two at a time. Please let Harry be alright he thought desperately as he burst into the sitting room his wand already drawn and in his hand. Relief coursed through him as he saw that there were no Death Eaters or similar in the room but it was almost instantly replaced by worry as he took in the mess and saw Harry curled in a small ball sobbing. With one swift step he was at Harry's side having taken in the situation with a glance. Harry must have taken hold of the shelf to steady himself and accidently overbalanced bringing the shelf down with him. Nothing appeared to have hit Harry but Sirius wasn't going to take any chances.

Gently he pulled the boy into his arms, lifting him and carrying him over to the sofa. He felt the teen stiffen slightly before clutching him desperately, "I'm sorry, Sirius, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it was an accident," he pleaded, "Don't send me back, please, please don't send me back. I understand if you don't love me anymore just please don't send me back." Harry voice cracked and his tears soaked the front of Sirius's shirt as he clung to him still apologising frantically, the fear and terror plain to hear. Sirius felt his heart break and he tightened his grip on his godson, pouring as much love and comfort into the hug as he was able. Harry thought he would give him up and send him back over an accident, not for the first time Sirius damned the Dursleys, hating that they had instilled such fear into his godson.

"It's alright Harry, you're safe here and I will never send you back to the Dursleys no matter what you do." Tear bright, hopeful eyes rose to meet his and Sirius smiled at him comfortingly, "You won't send me back?" Harry whispered, not quite daring to believe it but Sirius nodded emphatically and pulled him closer.

"You're my godson Harry, I love you like my own child. I will never give you up and I will never, ever send you back to those people." Wide, child-like emerald eyes bored into his and he felt Harry's grip slacken slightly as he moved back to look at Sirius properly, tear tracks still marking his face. "You still love me?" He asked, hope and wonder shining through his face. Sirius smiled, his eyes never leaving his godson, "I will always love you Harry, and I will never stop loving you."

Finally Harry nodded, accepting his words and burrowed deeper into the embrace. For several minutes neither of them spoke as Harry relaxed in Sirius's arms, soaking in the love that surrounded him. In turn Sirius felt the love his godson had for him and it warmed his heart to realise that despite all the mistakes he had made and the ones he could never forgive himself for, Harry had forgiven him and loved him in return. Eventually Sirius broke the silence, "Did you really think I'd abandon you pup?" he asked softly. He felt Harry nod against his chest. His arms tightened around his pup,

"I will never abandon you Harry, it doesn't matter what you do. You are right where you belong, safe in my arms and I will always love you." Harry glanced up shyly, he had never felt so safe, so loved but he just had to make absolutely sure, "You'd love me even if I went Dark?"

"Yes pup, even if you went Dark," he paused for a second then added, "Of course if you did I'd drag you back here and ground you until you saw sense but I'd still love you." Harry couldn't help but laugh. He got a sudden image of Padfoot growling and dragging a protesting Harry up the stairs towards his room. He smiled and buried his face into Sirius's chest, "Love you Siri," he murmured, the words muffled against the fabric. Softly Sirius stroked his godson's hair,

"Love you too pup, I love you too."

* * *

Over 100 reviews! A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed and I'm so pleased you are all enjoying it but please continue to review. See you in a few days!


	12. Birthdays

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 11 – Birthdays**

Harry had been living with Sirius for just over a week and was fast becoming accustomed to life with his godfather. Sirius usually woke him in the mornings with a hand on his shoulder and a gentle shake; years of living with the Dursleys had ensured he was a light sleeper. Therefore it was quite a surprise to wake to the sight of the large black grim which stood with its paws on his shoulders and its tongue dangling dangerously close to his nose. With a half hearted groan Harry pushed the heavy paws away, "Geroff Padfoot, you know Nixie dislikes dog hair on the bed." The dog gave a loud bark and transformed back into his godfather who was still laughing,

"Happy Birthday puppy mine." Harry let a large grin spread across his features, in the joy and excitement of coming to live with Sirius he had completely forgotten about his birthday, for the first time ever he was actually expecting to have fun. Sirius beamed in response, "Up and dressed pup and I'll meet you outside in ten minutes." Harry nodded happily and almost jumped out of bed and only the quick reflexes of his godfather prevented him from falling flat on his face. Sirius caught him by the shoulders and held him until he regained his balance, "Slow down pup, you're still recovering and trust me when I say you don't want to be falling asleep this afternoon." Once he was sure Harry was steady he released the teen's shoulders and exited the room to wait.

Approximately ten minutes later Harry exited the room, dressed in the new clothes Sirius had got for him the moment he saw what the Dursleys had given him, with a wide smile on his face and Sirius couldn't help but smile in response before bending down to pick the boy up. "I probably won't need to do this in a few days," he remarked as they headed downstairs, "You're regaining strength quickly and hopefully in a few more weeks you will be too heavy to lift comfortably." Harry just nodded noncommittally, as much as he was happy to be getting better he had to admit to himself that he would miss the feeling of safety that surrounded him whenever his godfather carried him. The animagus seemed to read his mind, "But don't think that means I'll stop hugging you, and you are welcome to hug me whenever you want to, within reason of course." Harry relaxed, comforted by his godfather's words.

Soon they reached the sitting room and Harry was hard pressed to stop his jaw hitting the floor. Piled before him were more presents than he had ever received in his entire life, Sirius chuckled at his gobsmacked expression, "I haven't had the chance to be at your birthday for the last twelve years so I think I went a little overboard." Harry was still trying to get his jaw back off the floor, seeing this Sirius rested one hand on the boy's shoulder, "That said they aren't all from me, I believe there are ones from Andy, Hagrid, the Weasleys excluding Ron, and a couple of others." Seeing the question in Harry's eyes he continued, "Ron, Hermione and Remus will all be coming over later so you will receive theirs then."

Harry did a quick mental count of the presents before him, eighteen in total, whilst eight or nine were from the people Sirius had mentioned the rest were from him. Harry turned towards his godfather, "You don't have to do this for me." The animagus sighed and looped an arm around the boy's thin shoulders, tugging him closer,

"I know I don't have to pup. I want to do it. I've been out of your life for twelve years through my own stupid mistakes but now I'm here and I'm going to spoil you a bit. It won't make up for the time I lost and your time at those monsters, but it will make me feel a bit better so just enjoy it pup." Sirius smiled although it didn't reach his eyes, "It's your birthday Harry, you're supposed to have fun." With a gentle shove he propelled the teen towards the pile of presents and when Harry still hesitated he reached out plucked a present from the pile and handed it to his godson before leaning back on the sofa to watch the fun.

For the next several hours Harry opened present after present, admiring each before moving onto the next one. Sitting back he surveyed the collection of items, he had received a box of fudge from Mr and Mrs Weasley, a fake wand and tonne tongue toffees from Fred and George, a book on the Ministry from Percy, a lumpy parcel of wool he assumed was a pair of socks from Dobby, a moleskin pouch from Hagrid, chocolate frogs from Neville and a book on jinks from Andromeda. Added to that already impressive collection was quiddich armour, more DADA books, an interesting selection of sweets and a photo-album from Sirius. The books had caused Harry to raise his eyebrows at his godfather, Sirius was well known for his dislike of books, in fact Remus had told more than one story where he had forcibly dragged Sirius into the library of Hogwarts. Sirius managed to have the grace to look embarrassed, "I'm not saying I like books but those will definitely help you, they are fairly interesting and, well, one is the Auror Handbook," Sirius snorted, "One of the few books I actually read willingly and you'd be surprised by how good it actually is."

The photo-album in particular had brought tears to his eyes; the whole book was filled with pictures from his birth to the day his parents died. Utterly speechless Harry turned towards his godfather hoping his eyes could convey the thanks his mouth was struggling with. Sirius smiled his understanding and reached out and pulled his godson into a hug. Harry hugged the animagus back, repeating his thanks over and over. Mirth alight in his eyes Sirius reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, "There is just one more thing Harry." His godson stared up at him temporarily mute, "When Ron and Hermione get here you are going to take the animagus potion to reveal your animal and you start animagus training formally next week."

It was a good thing Sirius had been sitting on the sofa else he was likely to have been bowled over by the strength of the hug he received at the statement. Laughing he managed to pry the boy's grip loose, "Come on Harry, breakfast before they actually arrive would be a good idea, you want to have enough energy for the potion after all." Harry grinned at him and obediently drew back allowing Sirius to stand as the two of them headed towards the dining room and food.

* * *

The instant lunch was finished Harry Potter was found all but bouncing up and down on the sofa, staring at the fire as he waited for his friends to arrive. Eventually the flames flickered emerald and soon the red mop of hair belonging to his best friend was visible as Ron Weasley tumbled out of the fireplace, closely followed by Hermione. Grins threatening to split their faces Ron raced over towards Harry whilst Hermione followed at a more sedate pace. "Happy Birthday Harry," she announced brightly, handing him an extremely precisely wrapped gift. "Yeah mate, Happy Birthday," Ron added as he gave him his own gift. "So how's your summer been Harry?" With fire in her eyes Hermione smacked Ron on his shoulder, "What was that for?" he asked.

"For being an insensitive prat," hissed Hermione with a significant look in Harry's direction. Ron opened his mouth to reply but Harry, sensing an argument in the making intervened before Hermione could draw up a large enough head of steam. "It's been fantastic Ron, not the weeks with the Dursleys of course but the last week or so has been absolutely brilliant. It's great to live with Sirius, even foul tasting potions don't detract in the slightest and it's been good to have a real family at last you know." A quick glance at Hermione revealed she was beginning to tear up and Ron just looked slightly lost so Harry decided to change the topic of conversation as quickly as possible.

"Thanks for looking after Hedwig Ron," He said hurriedly. Ron just waved the thanks away,

"It's nothing mate, I was glad to do it. I know it's difficult for you with the muggles and all. And anyway she's come here now." Harry grinned at his friend then changed the subject again. He was incredibly grateful that Ron had taken Hedwig when his Uncle had refused to let her into the house, the owl had been his first real friend.

"So what do you guys want to your form to be?" He asked. Immediately Hermione started to speak,

"Apparently you don't get much choice, the animal you become reflects your personality and the traits you have. I'm really looking forward to taking the potion and starting training, it will be absolutely brilliant to change into another animal and I couldn't believe it when Sirius owled my parents asking for permission." She would have continued in this vein for another hour or so if Harry hadn't held up his hands to stop her,

"Breathe Hermione," he reminded her teasingly and Hermione rolled her eyes in response as Harry turned towards his other best friend, "What do you think about the Quiddich World Cup then Ron?" Hermione rolled her eyes again and muttered something that sounded strangely like boys before opening her guide to the animagus transformation as the boys animatedly discussed the merits of the various teams and the likely contenders for the cup as they waited for Remus to arrive.

Soon all three were sitting cross legged on the floor as Sirius and Remus described to them in detail the process they were about to go through. As soon as the lecture was finished Sirius presented a bottle of the clear potion to each of them, "You'll enter a trance for about an hour or so, after that it's nothing more than hard work and lots of studying." Everyone laughed at Ron's groan, "Come on then kids, bottom's up," Sirius said the instant he got his mirth back under control. The three looked at one another for a moment before swallowing their respective potions in one gulp. Dimly Harry was aware of the soft voice of his godfather saying something to Remus as his senses slowly blurred and he slipped easily into the trance state.

* * *

His vision filled with a kaleidoscope of colours, all whirling and dancing in a dizzying pattern so complex his eyes could not follow it. Flashes of colour jumped at the edge of his vision, spinning out of the dance then racing back in but slowly at first then gathering speed the colours started to condense into black as a new image rose in front of him.

The light was dim and tinged slightly with the green that comes from filtering through a canopy of leaves. All around him trees rose up, bark scarred and weathered, they appeared to have stood since the beginning of time. A light breeze slipped between the trees, ruffling his hair and the lower leaves slightly but otherwise all was still. He could feel the carpet of moss give slightly beneath his feet and a faint crackling of twigs reached his ears whenever he moved. The whole forest was hushed as if waiting for something. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flicker of movement, moving slowly so not to attract the attention of whatever it was he turned his head to scan the forest but there was nothing. Turning round slowly he just caught a glimpse of a shadow before it slipped away and vanished back into the darkness of the forest. Cautiously he spun in a slow circle, scanning the trees for any sign of movement or the animal but there was nothing.

Sighing slightly he lowered himself down onto the moss and started to wait, after all neither Sirius or Remus had said anything about how long it took for your animal to show up. Suddenly he froze. Something large and heavy was pressing down onto his shoulder. Moving slowly and steadily, endeavouring not to startle whatever it was he turned to face it. It took all of the self control he had learnt at the Dursleys to stop him leaping backwards. Standing before him was a wolf, on paw digging into his shoulder and its muzzle no more than a few inches from his face. The wolf gave a coughing bark and removed its paw as if to say, I've got your attention now look at me.

The wolf was magnificent, it stood at about a meter high and was about a meter and a half long. Its back, head, tail and ruff were all jet black whilst the muzzle, throat, legs and underbelly were all a lighter grey. Bright, emerald green eyes stared at him and the thin outline of a lighting bolt was visible on the forehead. Tentatively Harry reached forward, raising his hand as if to stroke the animal but quick as a whip the tongue shot out and licked his outstretched fingers. Harry couldn't help but giggle as the tongue tickled his fingers. His animagus form was a wolf! He couldn't wait to tell Sirius. As if waiting for his acceptance the wolf walked up to him and prodded him with its cold nose. Grinning Harry reached out and buried his fingers in the wolf's soft fur. As the blackness faded across his vision once again he felt the sense of his body melt and shift, changing.

The first thing he noticed was that his sense of smell was suddenly much sharper. A myriad of scents assailed his senses each clamouring for his attention but he could clearly smell each of his friends. He could smell the faint perfume of Hermione's shampoo combined with the slightly musty scent of thousands upon thousands of books, whilst he could smell the conflicting scents of several meals on Ron as well as the old layered scents of the entire Weasley household combined with the scent of old pine and the faint tinge of sky and grass. Remus was obvious, his nose could easily pick up the scent of a fellow wolf even though it was seeped slightly in blood, must be the werewolf aspect he thought as he noticed this was overlaid by the musty scent of books as well as the common scents found in human homes and then there was Sirius, his godfather's scent was clear even though Harry's own scent was mixed in. He could smell the dog and the freedom on Sirius as well as his own singular scent that Harry was sure he would know anywhere.

The second thing he noticed was the rush of whispers that had broken out almost instantly. Well at least he thought they were supposed to be whispers, his hearing as well as his sense of smell seemed to have sharpened considerably. Pulling open his eyes to see what all the fuss was about, he was immediately struck by the changes, both reds and blues had become much more prominent whilst green and yellows had faded into the background slightly and many colours he had previously thought to be orange or yellow had acquired a distinctly reddish tint. The other thing that caught his eye was that all the furniture seemed to have risen considerably although the floor seemed much smaller.

Unnerved slightly he tried to ask a question but all he heard was a collection of snaps and snarls, frustrated he tried again with the same results. Vaguely he was aware of the scent of Remus, Ron and Hermione leaving the vicinity. Confused he swung his face in their direction and immediately a large black grim appeared in front of him. Relaxing in his godfather's presence he took a step forward only for the grim to bare his teeth and growl at him. Instantly he froze and his eyes widened; what had he done, why had Sirius growled at him, had he done something wrong? Tentatively, keeping his head lowered in a submissive gesture he stepped forward only to see a paw move instead of his foot.

Suddenly he realised what had happened, somehow he had ended up in his animagus form and Sirius was trying to protect the others; when he had tried to talk he had only succeeded in making them think he would try and attack them. That realisation crowding in on him he sank to the floor, closing his muzzle and gazing up at his godfather, green eyes seeking grey, putting all the recognition and love he had for his godfather into one look. Abruptly the animagus shifted and Sirius was standing before him although Harry noticed he still kept a tight grip on his wand, "Harry?" his godfather asked quietly. A whine escaping him Harry nodded although he didn't try to stand. Slowly Sirius lowered himself down until he was kneeling beside the wolf, "Do you know how you transformed?" Harry shook his head in answer. Sirius sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "See if you can change back, I'd rather not use the animagus reversal if I don't have to, it isn't that pleasant."

Harry closed his eyes and concentrated but nothing happened. The main problem was he had no idea of what he was supposed to do. If he had been aware of the actual transformation he would have stood a chance of reversing it but he didn't even know where to start. After a few minutes he opened his eyes again and looked beseechingly at Sirius. The animagus sighed and pointed his wand at him, as a blue-white light erupted from it and struck Harry. Immediately he felt his body shift and change, twisting and lengthening unpleasantly. He felt his skin shift and crawl, a sensation not dissimilar to taking polyjuice, although it wasn't quite as unpleasant it was definitely close. A few seconds later he sat somewhat uncomfortably on the floor, back in his human shape once again.

The instant he was back to normal Sirius pulled him into a tight hug, one which he gladly returned. It had been more than slightly disconcerting, especially when Sirius had growled at him. "I'm guessing that wasn't supposed to happen," he said after a moment. Sirius let out a long breath and ruffled his hair,

"You could say that," he grinned wryly, "You just broke about every law on the animagus transformation there is." As Harry's eyes widened he turned his head to call into the next room, "You can come out you three, the wolf problem has been sorted." Within a few seconds the other three entered the room, Remus leading with his wand drawn,

"Everything under control Padfoot?" he asked sharply as he surveyed the room for any sight of the wolf. Sirius just grinned at him,

"Everything's fine Moony," he dropped his hand to Harry's shoulder, "It seems that the pup here managed to stay in his form after the potion wore off, and not realising he was in wolf form managed to scare the lot of us." He looked down at Harry, "I assume you tried to talk and all you got were growls?" At his nod, Sirius laughed, "Still, I had to force the change so he'll still have to learn like rest of you." Eventually Hermione managed to regain her voice,

"So your form is a wolf," she exclaimed, "What was it like? How is it different?..." She would have continued in this vein for several more minutes if Harry hadn't shushed her, "I wasn't paying that much attention, just going on instinct, you know. Anyway what were your forms?"

"I'm a Scottish Wildcat," Hermione said in delight, "Not what I expected of course but a brilliant animal and I can't wait to begin learning how to transform," she gushed, "What about you Ron?" she added, noticing their friend appeared slightly put out.

"I'm a chimp," he said flatly. Both of them frowned slightly at his disappointed tone,

"But a chimp's great Ron, they are supposed to be fun loving, intelligent, brave and devoted to family," Hermione said authoritatively,

"And," Harry added, "It is much better than some of the other animals. Imagine if you were a ferret, or worse a weasel. And imagine what you could do to Fred and George." Neither boy could suppress a snicker at that thought and eventually Ron grinned at them.

The rest of the party was spent in animated discussions of the various forms and quiddich and even Hermione was persuaded to join in with an impromptu prank war which broke out against the Marauders despite the fact Harry was at a considerable disadvantage, being unable to move fast or dodge properly. Thankfully fewer pranks were sent his way but it was still a laughing group that enjoyed supper before Mrs Weasley came to collect both Ron and Hermione, who would be picked up by her parents from the Burrow. After they left, Harry sank down comfortably into the sofa. It had been the best birthday he had ever had.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was at a state verging on inarticulate rage, if it wasn't for the fact that the pureblood prided himself on his emotionless slytherin facade it was almost certain that his face would traumatise anyone within a hundred meters of him, even as it stood his expression rivalled that of Voldemort's when the Dark Lord had been particularly angry. And all that rage was centred on a single letter. The filthy blood traitor Black had written to him, thanking him for the services rendered and forgiving the sum of 100,000,000 galleons. It was an vast amount of money but Malfoy was still acutely aware that the sum remaining was still enough to virtually bankrupt him and destroy his political influence and his family in one fell swoop. Not for the first time he cursed his ancestors for getting into this mess.

But the real reason for his current rage was his new understanding of his predicament. Now he had freed Black the man had not only the Lordship of House Black which still carried a large volume of political clout, he also had amounts owed to him which could cripple the Malfoy family. He had been uncomfortably aware that Black could easily dictate his actions from now on. If he did something Black didn't like or attempted to work against him, Black could threaten to or call in the debt destroying him. He knew that with Black back in the picture he could say goodbye to the vast amounts of political influence. The only way it would be possible to survive would be alongside Black but he knew the blood traitor would never work with him and had only done so because the circumstance were so desperate, not to mention the fact he already had Lucius over the proverbial barrel. And, he thought as he snapped off a crucio at a flicker of movement, that situation was unlikely to change soon.

* * *

A/N Thanks again to everybody, any ideas for animagus nick-names would be welcome, hope you like the forms and please review.


	13. Gringotts

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 12 – Gringotts**

Sirius caught him as he stumbled out of the floo into the Leaky Cauldron, having been warned in advance about Harry's ineptitude when it came to floo travel. Casting a quick spell to remove the worst of the ash and soot from his dress robes his godfather steadied him before placing a hand firmly on his shoulder. It was a week after his birthday and the first time either had been seen in the Wizarding world since Sirius's innocence was declared just over two weeks previously and both Harry and Sirius were expecting a certain amount of trouble, hence the hand which was kept tight around his shoulder as they manoeuvred through the pub which had gone silent when the patrons had realised precisely whom had just exited the floo. Harry grimaced at the attention and Sirius smiled down at him, "You realise it's going to worse when we get into the alley," his godfather remarked softly. Harry just made a face and nodded. No matter how many times he had been stared at because he was the boy-who-lived it still didn't mean he liked it, and add in the extra attention being with Sirius was going to bring, he was absolutely positive he was going to hate it.

A few moments later and they made their way into the alley. Then the whispers started. It was just one witch at first but as more and more people noticed them the murmurings grew so loud he began to hear phrases, mutterings, "shouldn't be allowed," , "Murderer with our hero, it's just wrong," , "He must be abusing the poor lad,". At the last comment Harry shrunk back against Sirius, seeking his godfather's protection and he felt the hand on his shoulder tighten in response, letting him know Sirius was there for him.

Once he had reassured his godson, Sirius turned to regard the poor witch who had the gall to utter such at statement in Harry's hearing, fury in his eyes. The witch blanched but stood her ground, a feat which Sirius would have admired her for had it not been for the comment she had made. "Of course you're abusing the boy; it's obvious the lad is far too thin." Now the stares of everyone else in the Alley were fixed on the scene. Sirius felt Harry flinch and wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders, bringing him closer and he felt his godson relax slightly and shift deeper into his hold. "I would never do anything to hurt Harry," he said, every syllable trembling with anger. Feeling his pup stiffen slightly at the anger and reminding himself that the only experience the teen had with anger had resulted in him getting hit, he forced himself to calm down before he spoke again.

"But you are hurting him by abusing him," the witch said stubbornly. He drew breath to throw her assumptions straight back in her face but Harry had had enough. He was sick of these people judging Sirius and by extension his life with Sirius when they knew nothing of his childhood and life, and then they sat their saying awful things about the only person who loved him and the one person he loved as a father.

"Sirius has never abused me!" he cried out suddenly. The whole Alley which had been filled with mutterings at the confrontation before them fell silent at his words. Trembling slightly as he realised everyone's attention was focussed solely on him he spoke once more, "Sirius has been nothing but kind and loving ever since I came to live with him." He added the last bit so quietly only Sirius managed to catch the words, "He loves me like I was his son," Tears sprang into Sirius's eyes at his godson's words and he battled with them to prevent them from falling. "Come on Harry," he said quietly as he started to move through the mass of witches and wizards once again, thinking hard.

The words Harry had spoken had been so quiet he wasn't sure he was meant to have heard them, in fact as he thought about it he came to the realisation he almost certainly wasn't supposed to. He was well aware that he regarded Harry like his own child and loved him like Harry was his son but at the same time he was painfully aware that he wasn't. First and foremost he was James's son and he felt almost as if he had stolen Harry, because if it wasn't for his stupid mistake the Potters would be alive and Harry would have his real father. He couldn't help but feel joy that Harry accepted his love but at the same time he feared that he would replace James, and that was something he could never do.

During his musings they had made their way down the rest of the Alley and reached the marble steps of Gringotts bank. Shaking away his thoughts, he pulled himself together and entered the bank. He was respected by the Goblin Nation partially because he spoke their language but mainly because during the first Blood War with Voldemort he and James had received word that the Death Eaters had taken some goblins and wizards prisoner. True to form both of them had gone to the rescue and in the ensuing fire fight he had managed to save Ragnok, then the heir to the goblin nation, from a curse that would have likely killed him. That particular act had made the goblins respect him not only as a warrior but it had also created an honour debt between the goblins and himself. James had also received some of the respect, whilst not at the level of Sirius's, he had also gained a fairly large measure of respect and as such he knew Harry as both his godson and a Potter would be watched extremely closely in the coming meeting.

They entered the bank and Sirius spoke quietly to a goblin in their own language for a few moments before the teller nodded and rang a small bell. He smiled as he saw Harry follow the conversation with interest, he had begun to teach his godson the language after he had told him the account and had started preparing him for his next meeting with the goblins. Whilst Harry still wasn't a very good speaker, he could follow a conversation well and Sirius thought he was doing very well for somebody who had only been learning for a fortnight, especially considering how difficult the language was to master.

A small goblin guide appeared behind the teller's desk, bowing and greeting them in the goblin tongue, Sirius replied and Harry followed suit although it had to be said his reply was much more hesitant than Sirius's. Keeping his hand firmly placed on his godson, shoulder they followed the goblin into the depths of the bank. A few minutes later, having walked down a stretch of tunnels that twisted and turned just as crazily as the cart tracks they arrived at a small office door. As the goblin opened it, Harry shot Sirius a quick look that plainly asked what was he supposed to do? Titling his head slightly towards the open door, Sirius pushed him forwards gently, encouraging him to enter. Trusting his godfather's judgement Harry stepped through the door followed closely by Sirius.

The room they entered was typical of goblin architecture. The walls were rough stone, decorated by carvings and the floor was made from slabs of stone although the presence of several large skin rugs broke the monotony. The Goblin Sharpclaw sat behind a burnished stone desk upon which were pilled feet of parchment, the walls behind him contained stone shelves which were again filled with reams of parchment.

Remembering his manners Harry bowed and spoke the greetings in the goblin tongue and was rewarded by Sharpclaw inclining his head and returning the greeting. His godfather spoke with Sharpclaw for a few moments but Harry soon lost track of the conversation, there were too many words and phrases he didn't understand but thankfully after a few moments Sirius reverted to English, "I humbly request that the rest of this session is spoken in English as my godson is new to the Goblin Language and the business we must discuss is pertinent to him, so understanding is needed on both sides for the optimum profit."

"Of course Sirius," Sharpclaw responded, "Now if you would enlighten me on this business."

"Willingly old friend. Firstly I would like a full accounting of the Potter Vaults and Investments so the financial affairs of my godson can be managed properly and so that my godson can become familiar with his accounts." The goblin nodded and made several quick notes on a piece of parchment. Suddenly something Sirius had said registered with Harry, "What do you mean Vaults?" he blurted out, "I only have one." Both his godfather and the goblin turned towards him in confusion,

"You have a trust vault, the family vault which stores items and a main monetary vault Harry," Sirius explained slightly perplexed, "But surely you were told about this on your eleventh birthday, or failing that the first time you entered the bank." But Harry was shaking his head emphatically,

"I've never been aware that I have more than one vault. I thought what must be my trust vault was my only vault." A frown creased Sharpclaw's forehead,

"But what about your monthly statements, they have been..." Harry was shaking his head even before the goblin had finished his statement. Sirius and Sharpclaw exchanged glances and eventually the goblin spoke, "This is most irregular, it seems knowledge of your heritage and financial standing has been denied you Mr Potter Heir Apparent. Rest assured the bank will conduct a thorough investigation and I will make finding the required information a priority Lord Black." Harry opened his mouth to ask another question, this time over the use of the words 'Heir Apparent' but Sirius sent a glance at him telling him to stay quiet and obediently he closed his mouth. He would ask his godfather later.

"Secondly," the animagus continued, "I would like to speak to the goblins concerning a matter of revenge." At this statement Sharpclaw placed his quill onto his desk and leaned forward, an almost feral smile spreading slowly over his features. If it hadn't been for the fact he was with his godfather and he knew Sirius would never hurt him in any way he would have been quite alarmed and even as it was he was more than a little unsettled. "The consequences of my unfortunate incarcament were far reaching Sharpclaw and the consequence for my godson and heir were particularly severe."

Harry sat frozen, his eyes staring out but he wasn't seeing anything. Sirius had warned him that one of the pieces of business in the bank was to do with the Dursley's treatment of him and involving the goblins but he wished they didn't have to know. It was bad enough that Sirius was aware of what had happened, he didn't want others to know too but he would do anything for his godfather, so when Sirius had suggested the bank he hadn't raised more than token protests but still he hated it. Sirius placed an arm around his shoulders and pulled him towards him slightly, giving the reassurance he desired. Harry relaxed slightly, his stiff posture releasing somewhat. Not for the first time Harry wondered if his godfather could read his mind, the animagus always seemed to know when he needed comfort.

Sharpclaw had watched the interaction with narrowed eyes. Sighing Sirius continued, "He was placed with his muggle relatives and they hurt him." The goblin's eyes narrowed into virtual slits. Despite the fact the goblins were a proud, warlike race with scarcely veiled contempt for the vast majority of wizards they were devoted to their children and child abuse was the ultimate crime in their eyes.

Sharpclaw's eyes bored into Sirius's and he made a motion with one hand indicating that the man should continue. "When I went to collect him I found him in the cupboard under the stairs and there was evidence that he had stayed there for most of his childhood. Furthermore he had been starved and it was evident his uncle had beaten him frequently. And I would seek the goblin's assistance in this matter of revenge against the Dursley family." The goblin's breath hissed between his teeth.

"Have you committed any acts of revenge already?" he demanded sharply. When Sirius replied with the negative he barked out a single question, "Why?"

Harry felt Sirius's arm tighten, "Because Harry had been hurt and is still ill as a result of their abuse and neglect and my priority was and will always be Harry." Harry felt a warm feeling rise up in him. Although he was aware of his godfather's love for him, he was still extremely insecure about his position in Sirius's life and what that love actually meant. The declaration Harry would always be his godfather's priority felt wonderful. He still wasn't used to adults actually caring and Sirius words reinforced that point. Sharpclaw nodded in something that looked like approval. "What did you have in mind Sirius?"

A grin almost a vicious as the goblin's spread across Sirius's features, "I thought I should use my unique position with the Goblin Nation to try the Dursley's for Child Abuse and Neglect under goblin law, seeing as my godson is not only my heir, but James Potter's as well. I know the force of the law in cases like this is ... severe to say the least." A matching grin had spread across Sharpclaw's face.

"That is definitely a good idea my friend. I would love to take a blade to those vermin but I agree a life sentence in the mines of Kirth-Sevn would be a more apt punishment and satisfying revenge." His faze turned towards Harry and to his surprise he saw the features soften slightly, "Would Mr Potter consent to a scanning to reveal the damage? Such information would be invaluable in the actual trial." Harry glanced up at his godfather, his question clear in his eyes. Sirius smiled and nodded, his arm giving his shoulders a slight squeeze, encouraging him to give his consent. Taking a deep breath he nodded and immediately a small goblin appeared in the room and Sharpclaw barked out some instructions which sent the younger goblin scurrying away.

As they waited for the goblin to return with the healers Sharpclaw and Sirius conversed animatedly whilst Harry sat silent, following their conversation to the best of his ability but also worrying about the upcoming event. He had no clue what they would find and he wanted to get it over with and to escape the bank. Sirius half turned and sent him a warm smile. Harry smiled back, wondering yet again how his godfather had such an accurate read on his mood.

A few minutes later an older goblin, this one obviously female entered. After conversing with Sharpclaw for a moment she motioned for Harry to stand. Accustomed to obeying he complied instantly and the moment he was on his feet the goblin waved her hand across his body several times and he felt a rush of magic sweep him. A glowing globe appeared in the goblin's outstretched hand, pulsating and emitting light in what seemed to be nothing more than random bursts to Harry. However he clearly saw the goblin's eyes widen and she spun to face Sharpclaw and Sirius. "Aside from the obvious signs of prolonged neglect, starvation and physical abuse were either of you aware this child has half of his magic bound?" She demanded.

Blank shock showed itself on Sirius's face and he was at Harry's side in an instant. At the goblin's glare he answered, "James put a binding on Harry as an infant. His accidental magic was so strong that it posed a danger to everyone in the household, but that should have been removed when he turned eleven and received his first wand." The goblin regarded him for a moment before nodding slowly,

"The binding is certainly what I would expect for a childhood binding and judging by your words it should be released immediately. Do I have your permission to do so?" Sirius gave his consent immediately and Harry followed suit. He felt numb. How could half his magic be bound? Surely someone would have known, would have realised that something was different, something was wrong. He was only dimly aware that the female goblin had started a long series of incantations and his entire body tingled at the rush of magic. Slowly the words rose to a crescendo and his core was finally unbound. Nobody was prepared for what happened next.

Raw magic surged outwards, exploding from him. Nothing was spared as it ripped through the office, throwing desk, parchment, human and goblin into the air with abandon. After a moment the wave passed and Harry slumped forwards, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of magic that he had released. Sirius caught him just before he hit the floor, holding him upright, slightly shocked at the power his godson had displayed.

Frantic green eyes came up to meet his, "Is everyone alright? Did I hurt anyone? Are the goblins okay?" The questions tumbled from Harry's mouth and having no answer he turned both himself and the teen so they could see the rest of the office. He felt his godson sigh in relief when he saw that neither goblin had sustained any damage, that relied however was short lived when Harry took in the destruction that littered the office. Immediately he began apologising and would have rushed to help the goblins had Sirius not kept a tight grip on him, correctly deducing that he would fall if he let go.

Harry was horror struck as his eyes took in the devastation that littered the office. Thankfully nobody had been hurt but the destruction was immense and he instantly began apologising. His actions had destroyed the office of a high ranking goblin, this wasn't just a single shelf depositing its contents in the sitting room, this was much worse. He was certain Sirius would punish him when he got home but he was also acutely aware he had just done magic on goblin territory which breeched several treaties. Therefore he was extremely startled when both goblins started laughing.

Sirius raised a single eyebrow in the direction of his account manager, still keeping a firm hold on Harry. Still chortling Sharpclaw managed to reply, "We should have warned you that such an act always releases a bout of accidental magic." Sardonic eyes surveyed the destruction that covered his office, "It is extremely impressive what this was able to accomplish however, and I'm sure Mr Potter will be a formidable wizard." Suddenly Sharpclaw smiled, "And not many wizards would care for the life of a goblin or for the damage to a goblin's property. Like father like son, like godfather, like godson." He turned towards Sirius, his expression serious, "That is a very special child you have there, my friend."

Sirius smiled and ruffled Harry's hair with his free hand, "I know."

* * *

Amelia Bones slammed the reports down onto her desk in frustration. A couple of aurors had just come back from their patrol in Diagon Alley and had reported the confrontation between Sirius Black and a member of the public concerning Harry Potter. Allegations of abuse were very hard to ignore, particularly as the aurors had also reported that the boy was very thin. She knew she had gone out on a limb giving Lord Black the ministry's support for the custody of Harry Potter and she knew she had to get the situation resolved as soon as possible. Sighing she asked Kingsley to go into the Alley and wait outside Gringotts to bring the pair to her office. Normally she would have given the job to a less experienced auror; after all he wasn't going to arrest them but she knew this situation required a lot of tact and Kingsley was the only person she trusted to do this without creating a scene.

* * *

Sirius saw Kingsley the instant they left the bank. He was well aware he had been one of the aurors investigating his case and his eyes narrowed as he slipped through the crowds to intercept them. He guessed that news of the earlier confrontation had got back to Amelia and Kingsley had been sent to bring them to the ministry for a chat. Inwardly he thanked her that she had sent Kingsley instead of younger aurors like Dawlish. Kingsley could be counted on to be discreet and not make a scene, something he was extremely thankful for, especially considering the fact he had Harry with him. He knew Harry would react very strongly if he thought his godfather was going to be taken away, and whilst he knew how reasonable Amelia was Harry didn't, and now his core had been unbound he was aware it was likely accidental magic would occur if Harry felt that he was threatened.

Kingsley caught up to them part way down the Alley. "Lord Black," he spoke quietly, so the attention of the rest of the Alley wasn't drawn, "Madam Bones would like both you and Mr Potter to come with me to the Ministry. Reports of abuse have been coming in, particularly from the earlier confrontation and we need to investigate." Sirius felt Harry freeze as he heard Kingsley's words.

"No, you can't, you can't. Sirius would never hurt me. There's no abuse. Don't take him away, please, please," His godson's words tumbled over each other and the animagus could clearly see the terror in his pup's eyes. Kingsley chose that moment to speak again, "You aren't under arrest but I need the pair of you to come with me Lord Black." Sirius felt Harry begin to shake and press against his side, staring up at Kingsley with fear filled eyes,

"I won't let you, you can't take him away. Not now. Not when I finally have somebody who cares for me. You can't, you can't." Harry's voice was rising and people were beginning to turn and face them once more. The ground below them started to shake and Sirius could feel magic grow thick in the air. Harry was seconds away from a huge burst of accidental magic. His attention firmly fixed on his godson, Sirius pulled the boy into a tight hug, trying to calm him before he destroyed part of the Alley. He felt Harry cling to him and in the tight grip he could feel all of the terror Harry felt at them being forced to separate. "It's alright Harry, they won't take me away," he murmured again and again.

Slowly he felt Harry relax and go limp in his grip as the magic swirled and gradually settled, clearing the air. Sirius glanced up at Kingsley and saw the shock on the man's face. "We'll come," he said quietly and he received Kingsley's nod in acknowledgement although he noted the auror was regarding Harry with narrowed eyes. They started walking once more although he noticed Harry stayed as close to him as possible and he kept an arm fixed around his godson's shoulders, reassuring him that he was still safe, and preventing further outbursts of accidental magic.

* * *

Amelia looked up as Kingsley entered her office followed by Lord Black and Harry Potter. The first thing she noticed was that the teen was almost cowering against the older wizard and was sticking as close to him as his own shadow. Lord Black was holding Potter tightly against him and she could see that it was only the presence of the wizard's arm on his shoulders that was keeping the boy calm. She saw the teen's eyes widen as he realised he was in the office of the Head of the DMLE and she could clearly see the fear there. She frowned slightly as she considered it, was the fear of the man holding him or was the fear to do with where he was? Kingsley spoke to her for a few moments, explaining what had happened in the Alley and her eyebrows rose. It was obvious the boy had done accidental magic and was clearly frightened of being separated from Lord Black. Furthermore the way Black had comforted him wasn't the sort of action one expected from an abuser. There was definitely more to the story.

She gestured for them to take a seat, noting how the teen pulled his chair over so he was as close to his godfather as possible. She also saw how the boy's uneasy gaze flashed up to meet his godfather's and Black smiled gently in response, causing the boy to relax slightly, leaning against his godfather's side. She started to speak but before she could finish her first question Harry spoke, "Sirius hasn't hurt me, he wouldn't hurt me. Please don't take him away, please, please. I can't go back to my relatives, I can't. Please don't arrest him, he's done nothing wrong, please." The pleading voice cut through her thoughts and she was struck by how heartfelt and childlike the plea was. She had dealt with abused children in her earlier years on the force and as she saw Black reach over and pull the boy into a loose hug her mind flashed back to a case she had dealt with early in her career.

She had been following up on a placement of a child after they had rescued her from an abusive home and although the girl was in her second year at Hogwarts at the time she could clearly remember the pleading in her voice and the fear in her eyes as she had gone to speak with the foster parents. The girl had honestly believed they had come to separate her from her new family and had been absolutely terrified of losing the only people who had ever loved her. Seeing that self same fear in the boy's eyes and watching his godfather comfort him she knew beyond a doubt it was the same situation.

Speaking in the same tone she had used in those situations she turned to the boy, "I'm not going to take you away from Sirius Harry; I just want to ask some questions okay?" She couldn't help but smile at the relief and joy that poured off the teen although she noticed he still stayed extremely close to Black. "Do you like living with Sirius?" The joy in his face and voice was answer enough and they quickly made their way through the lists of questions she had.

Very quickly they had finished and Amelia was reeling with the information she had gained. She now was completely certain her decision to allow Black custody was the right one. The boy adored his godfather and Lord Black obviously loved him. The stories of Potter's treatment and the dead accepting voice he had spoken in tore at her heart and made her blood boil. She was about to bring the full force of Wizarding Law to bear on the Dursleys when Black assured her that they were already going to be dealt with by the goblins. She couldn't help but shudder, whatever the goblins would do to them would be worse than Azkaban. Soon they were finished and as they stood up to leave Black turned and addressed her, "I would appreciate it if the details of his past treatment didn't make their way into the media, his life is hard enough as it is. On the same note it might be worth telling people I have been evaluated and found to be a suitable guardian." She nodded in acknowledgment as the two left her office before finally giving in and having a large firewhiskey.

* * *

Sirius glanced down in concern as they reached home. Harry had been extremely quiet as they had left the ministry and gone home and Sirius was aware that his godson hadn't left his side once since meeting Kingsley in the Alley. As they exited the floo Harry had clung onto him and his grip wasn't easing. Making his way over to the sofa he sank down into it and gentle pulled the teen into an embrace. He felt Harry's arms go round him and hold him in a desperate grip as his godson buried his face in his shirt. His godson began to shake with sobs and he felt wetness begin to seep through the fabric. Tenderly he rubbed the teen's back with his free hand and gradually he felt Harry relax in his arms, the tears slowly ceasing. "What's the matter pup?" He asked softly, when he judged Harry was coherent enough to answer.

"I thought they would take you away. I can't lose you now," he said, his voice cracking. Sirius tightened his grip and held him close,

"I'm not going anywhere Harry. They won't take me away; you don't have to worry about that."

"I know," Harry finally admitted, "But I was scared," he added in a small voice, "It's just, everyone who ever loved me was taken away. I was terrified they would take you too." Tears prickled in the corner of his eye as he realised Harry was talking about his parents. Before he had come into Harry's life they were the only people who had loved him and all he had known was that they were taken away. It was only natural then that he believed that Sirius would be taken as well and it was obvious that thought filled him with terror. "Look at me pup," he commanded, his voice soft. Slowly tear-bright emerald eyes rose to meet his, "I know you're scared but I promise you I will be there for you. I will not leave you." Tightening his arms he felt Harry relax against him, "I'm here now and I know it will take time for you to believe me but I will always be there for you, never doubt that."

Harry stayed curled up in his godfather's embrace for several more minutes before finally releasing his grip. "Thank you," he murmured. Sirius reached up to ruffle his hair, "Anytime pup, anytime."

* * *

A/N This will not be a superpowered Harry fic, I just think his magical strength is higher than his lessons seem to show. producing a corporal patronus at 13 but only average on other spells. it doesn't really make sense.

Also the updates for this story are going to get a lot slower now. I'm helping at Scout Camp all this weekend then I'm back at school for sixth form induction so I'm probably only going to update once a week as I'll have a lot less time to write.

Thanks for the reviews and see you in a bit!


	14. Nightmares

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Angst Warning. Harry is extremely damaged due to his treatment at the dursleys and this chapter will see some of that come to a head. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

It came as no surprise to Sirius to be awakened by a loud scream. Harry had nightmares every single night and Sirius suspected that the only reason he had not had one the first night was because his body was so fatigued due to the starvation that it had basically shut down. The nightmares were so severe that after the first few days he had installed a door connecting their two rooms so he could easily get to Harry whenever one started. So far all the dreams had centred on his treatment at the Dursleys and Sirius knew that whenever his godson woke from one of those dreams he needed him to be there to convince him that it wasn't real, that he was on Black Island and completely safe especially as Harry would never go back to sleep after one. Sirius was just thankful most occurred around four am and Harry was able to have naps during the day so it didn't impede his recovery.

The screams were filled with agony and terror which chilled him to the bone as he ran through the door to his godson's side. He saw immediately that this was no ordinary dream. Harry's scar was a burnished red and as he watched a single drop of blood slipped out and onto his closed eyelids. The teen's body was convulsing and he could see fresh, red marks on his face and arms where his nails had caught. Sirius saw immediately that Harry was in danger of hurting himself badly if the dream continued for much longer. He started calling his name, it always worked on ordinary nightmares but this time it had no effect. Sirius felt the worry kick up another notch as he saw his godson thrash harder, screams still being torn his throat. Harry was hurting himself and he had to stop it before it got much worse.

Making a decision he slid behind his godson and pulled Harry's torso up against his, using his arms to pin the teen in place and prevent his flailing arms from causing any more damage. Bloody scratches appeared on his arms as he fought to keep his godson from harming himself, albeit unknowingly, as he remained trapped in the dream. Suddenly Harry shot upwards, his eyes flying open, gasping for breath. Immediately Sirius tightened his grip, locking Harry in his arms, fearing that this was another stage in the dream but after the single movement his godson lay still. Trying to wake Harry once more he started calling his name.

* * *

Harry blinked, disorientated, wondering why his scar hurt. He could clearly remember Voldemort killing the man, the caretaker if he remember correctly and now he realised something was holding him down, preventing him from moving. Fear surged through him. Had Voldemort managed to trap him somehow? It was dark and he could clearly hear another person breathing alongside him. Fear caused him to lock down his muscles and freeze. If it was Voldemort or Wormtail he was not going to make it easy for them to find him. "Harry, Harry," his godfather's soft voice broke into his thoughts and he relaxed before worry surged through him, increased tenfold. Sirius was here and it would be so easy for Voldemort or Peter to catch him and kill him and that was something he could not allow. Heedless of his own safety he shouted out a warning, "Sirius, Voldemort's here. It isn't safe."

The moment he shouted he felt the binding holding him release him slightly and a muttered "Lumos" lit the room. Belatedly he realised he was in his own bedroom and it was his godfather who was restraining him. A godfather whose grey eyes were fixed on his green ones, worry evident in their gaze. Harry let out the breath he had been holding and slumped back against his godfather, relaxing in the knowledge he was safe in his own home and trusting in the security Sirius's embrace gave him. The pain in his scar had subsided to a dull throbbing but it still hurt. "What happened?" the animagus demanded softly.

"It was Voldemort," he said finally, "And Pettigrew," he paused slightly before he said the name, knowing that his godfather still hated the rat with a passion. He felt the arms holding him tense slightly but otherwise his godfather remained silent, patiently waiting for him to continue. "They were in a manor somewhere, Voldemort had a snake with him and the caretaker overheard them. They were talking. They mentioned that they had killed a Bertha Jorkins and they mentioned there was a faithful servant at Hogwarts, and..." He trailed off, not wanting to reveal to Sirius that they had a plan that involved using him in some way. But the animagus had noticed the evasion,

"And?" He prompted gently, running his fingers through his pup's messy black hair, feeling the teen's fear increase and hoping to sooth him. Harry looked down, avoiding Sirius's gaze. He didn't want his godfather to worry when there was nothing he could do. He had already caused the animagus a lot of trouble and didn't want to increase the load. Sirius however was having none of it. "I know you're hiding something Harry, just tell me." He commanded softly.

Keeping his eyes firmly diverted from his godfather he added, "The snake killed the caretaker and my scar hurt. It only does that around Voldemort." Sirius's fingers brushed his fringe away from his forehead and the animagus turned Harry's head slightly so he could inspect the scar. After a few moments he spoke again, "It certainly looks red, does it still hurt Harry?" He shook his head in the negative. There were still a few prickles of pain but it was nothing major and it was easy to deal with, he didn't need Sirius to make a fuss over it. He hoped that Sirius wouldn't continue to press him but he was out of luck, "What else Harry?" His godfather asked, refusing to be diverted.

As he still stubbornly refused to answer he heard Sirius sigh then strong fingers caught his chin and tilted his head up firmly but still gently so he had to meet his godfather's gaze. He expected to see anger and annoyance in the animagus's eyes but was extremely surprised when he saw nothing but love and understanding. "I know it will take you a long time to get used to the fact I'm here for you and that you don't have to deal with problems on your own anymore. Merlin, I was exactly the same. But I am here now Harry and I will protect you to the best of my ability, but I can't protect you if you don't talk to me."

He paused and looked at Harry expectantly, waiting for him to speak but as the silence stretched he spoke again. "I know it is bad if you are refusing to tell me," he commented kindly, "And I know you have only had a month to begin to understand what love is but I need you to understand a few things. I love you Harry and that means I will protect you with everything I have. If someone hurts you I want to know about it so I can comfort you, and then go and scare the hell out of them as Padfoot." He was rewarded by a slight smile as he continued, "I want you to tell me your problems so I can sort them out, or help you to do so and most importantly of all I want you to be able to trust me."

"I do trust you," he whispered. He felt Sirius pull him further into the embrace,

"Then don't keep things from me pup."

Harry felt an odd sense of shame well up inside him at these words. Sirius had done so much for him. He had rescued him from the Dursleys, cared for him, loved him and had never asked for anything but his trust and love in return and here he was refusing information just because he didn't want Sirius to know, when Sirius had actually asked for it. It wasn't fair to his godfather, especially after everything he had done for Harry, for him not to tell him something small, that he couldn't do anything about. He tried to look away but Sirius's grip was firm on his chin and he couldn't move his face. His godfather's eyes bored into him, so much worse because they still only showed love and understanding when he felt like he deserved far worse. Finally he came to a decision.

"There was some plan surrounding Hogwarts and Voldemort insisted that I was the perfect person to use in the plan and he would use nobody else." He felt Sirius exhale slowly and he buried his face in his godfather's chest, unwilling to see the reaction the words had caused and seeking proof that Sirius still cared for him, despite the knowledge he had withheld. In response he felt his godfather pull him closer, giving him the comfort he desired but also felt he did not deserve. "It's alright Harry, you're safe, I won't let him hurt you." Sirius murmured.

"It wasn't really Voldemort I was worried about," Harry admitted, "It would be the fourth time I'd faced him anyway and I can't do anything about him. I was more concerned about your reaction and what you would do." He felt Sirius grow unnaturally still at the words and felt the arms holding him tense. For several minutes the silence stretched and Harry got the impression Sirius was trying desperately to calm himself before he said or did anything rash. Finally he spoke but when he did his voice was clipped and controlled, "Why doesn't Voldemort worry you Harry?"

His godfather's grip eased so he could move backwards and actually meet his godfather's gaze. Harry stared downwards trying to isolate the reason he wasn't worried about Voldemort. Yes he was scared but he was more worried about Sirius and the question was why. Searching his mind he looked for the thoughts that had driven him to take that position. He knew he was worthless and a freak, he had been told that so many times if couldn't help but be true. And even though Sirius cared for him he was only his godfather after all not his real father and it was almost inevitable that one day he would get tired of Harry. His life didn't mean anything, yes Ron, Hermione, Sirius and hopefully Remus would be upset if he died but they'd get over it eventually so it didn't matter if he died. The worst that Voldemort could do to him would be to kill him and as he thought about it he realised that wouldn't be a bad thing. He would be able to hurt people or be hurt by them and he would finally meet his parents. He wasn't worried for his own life but he knew he wouldn't be able to stand it if Voldemort killed somebody he cared about and that was why he was worried about Sirius. Having come to that conclusion he was finally able to answer his godfather's question.

"The worst Voldemort can do to me is kill me," he started to explain, "I'm worthless and it doesn't matter if I die. In fact it's much better that I die instead of somebody like Ron who has a family who would miss him and if I died I'd see my parents again so it isn't really a big deal. There isn't really anything he could do to me that would hurt me. I'm much more worried about him hurting you or Ron or Hermione."

* * *

Sirius had a hard time holding back his tears. Hearing his precious godson talk about his own death in such flat and uncaring ways shattered his heart. And what made it worse was that he could clearly hear from the teen's voice that he genuinely believed what he was saying to be the complete truth. His sense of self-worth had been completely destroyed, shown clearly by the way he decried his own position and the inflection that nobody would miss him if he died and the fact he was more concerned about his friends being hurt than his own death.

Sirius knew that he used to have a similarly low sense of self worth, a product of his upbringing and he also knew it had taken a lot for his friends to finally persuade him that he was actually worth anything. In fact it hadn't been until he had run away and gone to the Potter's that he had actually begun to realise that he was actually valued and worth something. However the realisation of his own self worth hadn't fully come until after Harry had been born. His godson had stared up at him and smiled, and he had known in that moment he meant something. Harry had healed him and he was determined to do the same now for Harry although he felt his guilt rocket up another notch. He had never wanted Harry to have a childhood that was similar to his own.

He tried to smile although it came out as a grimace. The coming conversation was going to be extremely unpleasant but he knew he needed to have it. He had to begin to convince Harry of his self worth because he knew in his current state his godson would happily sacrifice himself and that was something he would not, could not allow to happen. But he knew it would be difficult. And he also knew he had to do it now before it got any worse. The longer Harry thought that way the more he would believe it and the harder it would be to convince him otherwise.

Sirius glanced over at the clock, it read 5:43. That meant he had just over five hours before Remus arrived. Hopefully that would be enough time to cover everything he needed to. Releasing his godson completely he sat up properly and patted the patch of bed next to him. Immediately Harry scooted over to the area he had indicated, pulling his knees up to his chest as he regarded his godfather steadily. Running his hand through his head distractedly he wondered how to begin, eventually he had it.

"Harry do you think I'm worthless?" He asked gently. Instantly Harry's denials flooded the room as he tried to convince his godfather he wasn't worthless. Sirius smiled warmly at him, amazed that despite everything Harry had been through that he still had so much love in him. "I know I'm not now pup, but I used to believe I was completely worthless, not unlike you."

"You'll never be worthless," his godson said fiercely, "You're my godfather and I love you so you will never be worthless." His eyes burnt with so much fire and he spoke with such conviction that Sirius couldn't help but lean forward and pull him into a hug, one which was eagerly returned. After a moment Sirius released him and sat back once more.

"Even so I used to think I was worthless." At Harry's frown he continued, "Do you know anything about my family pup?" Harry shook his head but his face betrayed his puzzlement at the apparent change in subject. Sirius sighed but his eyes remained fixed on Harry's as he started to explain. "My family were like the Malfoy's. Pureblood fanatics, Slytherins for uncounted generations, darker than our name. Merlin, Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy are my cousins and they were by no means exceptions, most, including my _dear_ Mother and Father thought Voldemort had the right idea and you as can imagine I fit in extremely well." He snorted before he continued.

"Sorted into Gryffindor, friends with a Potter, a werewolf and a halfblood, resolutely against the pureblood supremacy crap and I was never going to be a Death Eater, as you can imagine I was rather a disappointment to my _lovely_ parents." He drew in a deep breath, reminding himself severely why he was doing this and then continued, "And they didn't hesitate to show their displeasure and to try and 'reform' me into my 'proper' role."

He paused, his gaze sweeping his godson but he could see the pure shock in Harry's face and he could see his godson was giving him his full attention. "They first beat me the day I returned for the summer holidays. They stopped giving me any attention apart from punishments when I failed to meet their standards whilst they lavished attention on my younger brother. They hadn't exactly been proud of me when I was growing up, but they had always thought I would end up in Slytherin and learn my true place as a pureblood and as such I had escaped such drastic punishment. Gryffindor got rid of that idea so they became worse very quickly. I was their own little 'blood traitor' and they were determined to bring me back to my 'proper' place as the elder son. Every summer it got worse until..." He trailed off, unwilling to go into the events that had finally resulted in his flight.

He was startled therefore when he felt a hand touch his shoulder and he blinked as his gaze met his godson's. Compassion was etched in every feature of his godson's face, "Until?" he prompted gently. Idly Sirius wondered how the conversation had come to the point where Harry was comforting him.

"It was the summer of my fifth year, I was sixteen and by that point I felt completely worthless. When I got home they wanted me to take the mark. I refused. My father used the cruciatus on me. I couldn't take any more. I ran away that night and went to your Dad's. But that incident cemented my idea I was worthless. I had to be, there was no other reason a father would use that curse on their son. It took a very long time before I stopped believing that."

Suddenly he found his arms full of Harry. As his story wound to a close the teen had launched himself at his godfather and wrapped his arms around the older wizard, pouring all the love he had for his godfather into the single gesture. Sirius blinked back tears, overcome with emotion at his godson's gesture as he held Harry close, returning the embrace. For a moment they sat there in silence before Harry pulled back slightly to look him in the eye, "But why are you telling me this Sirius?"

"Because of what you said pup. You believe you are worthless and I am determined to change that." He tightened the hug, "There are a lot of parallels between our childhoods. Yes the Dursleys didn't hurt you with magic but they abused you and neglected you and it comes to the same thing even if they used different methods." Harry was shaking his head before he had finished but Sirius caught his face in his fingers and titled it upwards so Harry was facing him. "At the beginning of this conversation you told me I was worth something because of your love, why then Harry couldn't the opposite be true? I love you pup and as such you are worth more than you could ever imagine."

Harry just lay in Sirius's embrace, trembling. He had never imagined that his godfather had gone through so much, he had been abused and then spent twelve years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit but what really shook him was the confession that Sirius had once believed that he was worthless. His godfather had seemed so strong, he had cared for Harry, survived hell on earth and it had never occurred to him that Sirius could also be vulnerable. He would have thought it was impossible that his godfather could have even believed he was worthless and the only reason he knew it was the truth was because Sirius himself had told him.

And then the comparison between their lives. He had always thought that he deserved what the Dursleys did to him, after all he was responsible for the death of his parents but hearing Sirius place it against his own experiences that were clearly abuse he began to wonder if what they had done to him was abuse. Dudley had always been favoured and his relatives had never paid attention to him except to command him and punish him and as he thought about it he realised it was eerily similar to what Sirius had described. The beatings were definitely the same. As that thought settled into his mind he began to wonder if his godfather's last words had been true. Sirius was worth so, so much because he loved and cared for him and Harry loved him return, was it possible that he could be worth something because Sirius loved him?

There was just one more thing he had to know, "What finally convinced you?" He murmured, his words muffled by the fabric of Sirius's shirt. The animagus smiled warmly down at him. "You did." At Harry's incredulous look he elaborated, "I finally knew beyond a doubt that I was worth something just after you were born. You were tiny and James handed you to me. You lay there in my arms and then you smiled at me and I knew then that I was worth something, especially when James made me your godfather. And every time I'd come over and you smiled at me or called me Unca Pa-foo I knew that I mattered and that you were the most important thing in my world." Sirius tightened his grip, holding the boy close. Harry burrowed deeper into his hold unable to speak but somehow Sirius knew what he was thinking.

"I know it will take time for you to believe you are worth something, Merlin knows it took me ages but I will be here for you and I hope that one day I will be able to prove your worth to you. In the meantime I want you to promise me something."

Harry raised his head and met Sirius's gaze, and trusting his godfather would never try to hurt him he nodded his head. "I want you to promise that you will never sacrifice yourself because you believe that you won't be missed." Sirius's grip was almost uncomfortably tight, "You were all I lived for in Azkaban and if I lost you it would destroy me. Never think you wouldn't be missed pup."

Seeing the depth of the love and sincerity in his godfather's face it was easy for Harry to murmur three words, "I promise Sirius." The relief coming off his godfather was tangible and Harry felt a warm feeling rise in his chest, Sirius really worried about him that much. Sirius leant down and pressed a light kiss into his hair and murmured a heartfelt "Thank you." Harry relaxed, relishing in the feelings of safety and love surrounding him. He still didn't fully believe he was worth anything but he was beginning to, and maybe eventually he would be able to actually believe it was completely true.

* * *

The morning passed by quickly. Harry had nearly finished all his homework and was regaining control of his magic. The first few days after they had returned from Gringotts had seen a lot of accidental magic occurring whenever Harry became upset and the first time he had attempted the Impedimenta jink he had managed to overpower it and throw the dummy all the way across the room. It had taken several days until he was able to cast without knocking the dummy across the room, although all the spells were a lot stronger than a normal wizard's would be. Unanimously both him and Remus had decided that they would not change the defensive spells, as far as they were concerned the stronger his shields and patronus were the better.

Harry was occupied with his lessons with Remus when Sirius excused himself and headed out. The dream Harry had bothered him immensely. It didn't feel like a normal nightmare, he was sure one of those would involve Voldemort hurting someone Harry cared about. Harry's account of it seemed too real for his liking but it was the mention of Bertha Jorkins that had first caused him concern. Bertha had been a few years below the Marauders and he knew she worked at the Ministry and it was a name Harry was unlikely to have come across. Combined with the fact Harry's scar hurt and it always hurt around Voldemort, the picture was worrisome to say the least. He needed more information and he knew where he could get it. He only hoped Kingsley still had the same lunch schedule.

He was in luck. Kingsley had just entered an inconspicuous cafe in Muggle London when Sirius arrived and nodding quickly to the waitress he headed over to Kingsley's table. The man's eyebrows rose, "How did you know where to find me?" He asked curiously. Sirius let out a bark like laugh.

"You were an Auror when James and I joined the force. You always came to this cafe for your lunch break, we met you here several times. I just hoped you still went to the same place." A wry smile touched Kingsley's lips,

"What can I do for you then Sirius? You must have a reason to seek me out after all." Sirius's eyes darkened,

"Yes. Is anything wrong with Bertha Jorkins?" Kingsley frowned slightly before nodding once.

"She went missing a few months ago. Bagman insists she'll turn up, it isn't the first time she's vanished but the rest of us aren't so sure. There is a bit of an investigation going on. Why do you ask?" Sirius's expression was grave, his fears confirmed. The dream Harry had was a vision and that meant the threat at Hogwarts was real and so was the threat against his pup. Suddenly he was extremely glad he had accepted the DADA post, it would allow him to watch over Harry and hopefully keep him safe, despite the farce of a tournament that was coming to Hogwarts. He wasn't pleased with much that Dumbledore had been doing but he was extremely pleased with the age line, at least Harry wouldn't be able to enter.

"A vision suggested she might be in danger. I can't tell you everything because I don't understand it myself but," He paused then said, "I doubt you'll find her alive, if you even find her."

Kingsley sat up ramrod straight at that revelation, "You're saying..." Sirius nodded,

"I'm saying she has been murdered. I don't know why or how but I'm almost certain she's dead. I wasn't sure before, but as she is confirmed missing..." He left the sentence hanging. Kingsley surveyed him once, his eyes searching for any sign of deceit, when he found none he nodded his head sharply, once. "You were a good Auror Black. Thanks for the heads up."

Sirius smiled faintly and returned the platitude but inwardly his mind was seething. Voldemort obviously had some sort of connection with Harry, caused by the failed killing curse likely as not and that had resulted in the visions. He needed to start teaching Harry occlumency as soon as possible because if Harry had visions of Voldemort it could work the other way and that would endanger Harry so he had to be able to close his mind. He would also increase the defensive training he thought. Harry had all but finished his homework so there were an extra two hours he could use. One he could use to teach Harry occulmacy and the other could be used to start to teach him about his standing in the Wizarding World and his accounts. He had been rather shocked at Gringotts when Harry had appeared to lack basic knowledge of the wizarding world, yes he had been brought up by that filth but someone should have explained it to him on his eleventh birthday although he was beginning to think somebody, potentially Dumbledore was trying to keep Harry's heritage secret.

* * *

Hi everyone, sorry the rate of updates is slowing but thanks for all the reviews and continuing interest in this story.

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	15. Lessons

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 14 – Lessons**

Sirius had been astounded at Harrys lack of knowledge about his standing in the Wizarding World so the day after the Potter Statements had arrived he had taken him to the study and started to show him the accounts and to explain the meaning of terms such as Heir Apparent. His godson had taken everything in stride until the ledgers with the accounts and listings had been brought out but the moment he had looked at the ledger he had frozen.

Harry sat looking at the ledger in front of him in complete and utter shock, how could he have so much? He had lived in a cupboard for most of his life, been starved and only had Dudley's old hand-me-downs yet all that time he had a fortune buried under London. His shock was similar to the first time he had been taken to his trust vault. At the time it had seemed an amazing amount but the realisation that was only a fraction of his wealth was staggering.

"Harry, Harry," Sirius's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he glanced up to meet the concerned gaze of his godfather,

"I'm fine Sirius, it's just a lot to take in at the moment." Sirius nodded his understanding; he too had been taken by surprise when he had first gone over the Black Family Accounts. Harry looked down at the parchment again, trying to make sense of what it was telling him.

_Trust Vault: 42,601 Galleons_

_Potter Vault: 102,733,786 Galleons, 5 Sickles, 10 Knuts_

_Potter Family Vault: 18 Portraits, 692 Books, 184 Weapons, 3 Letters, 72 Heirlooms_

_Properties: Potter Manor, 15 Godric's Hollow, 146 Diagon Alley_

_Lordships: Potter, Gryffindor, Slytherin (By Conquest)_

He turned his incredulous gaze up to meet his godfather's. "How can I have these Lordships Sirius?" He asked, surprise evident in his entire posture. Suddenly he had an awful thought, Sirius hated Slytherins and now he was the heir, what if Sirius started seeing him differently? He knew his godfather had said that he would love him no matter what he did or was but would this change something? Another thought came to him; Sirius didn't know he was a parselmouth either. At least he now knew where the ability came from but it was widely regarded as a dark ability, even though Sirius said he would love him he had indicated that he would punish him if he turned Dark.

He looked at the parchment again, would it be better to tell Sirius before he found out? He remembered what the animagus had told him after his nightmare, "Then don't hide things from me pup." He had felt ashamed then and he knew if he kept this from Sirius he would feel ashamed too. His godfather had given him so much and asked for so little in return and if he kept this from Sirius he would feel like he was lying to him and he knew it would be worse if he kept it from Sirius and his godfather then found out he had done so.

Abruptly he realised his godfather was in the middle of an explanation, "...still has a large emphasis on the aristocracy, most of the old houses have Lordships and the Potter name is one of the older lines, as you can see from the Gryffindor Lordship. You take up your Lordship when you turn seventeen or the previous lord dies, for example after my death you will also have the Black lordship as I have no children and you are my named heir whilst you will claim the Potter and Gryffindor Lordships when you become an adult." Sirius paused and glanced at Harry, checking to see if he had understood.

"I'," Harry gabbled, deciding he might as well get it over with. Sirius held up his hands,

"Woah, slow down pup so I can actually understand you," he mock scolded. Harry couldn't help but grin at the gentle teasing, it was an obvious sigh of Sirius's affection for him and lately he had begun to tease Sirius in return although he was still a little leery of doing so. It went against everything he had ever done to deliberately make fun of an adult, especially a parent figure. He would talk back to professors but only if they were attacking either him or his friends but he would never make fun of them. Sucking in a deep breath he spoke again,

"I've also got the Slytherin Lordship and I'm a parselmouth." Sirius regarded him steadily for a moment,

"No matter, you're still my godson and I still love you." His face softened, "That's what you were worried about correct?" Harry just nodded, keeping his eyes away from Sirius and he heard the man sigh. Then his godfather's fingers caught his chin and gently pulled it upwards so he was facing him, "It. Doesn't. Matter." He said emphatically, "You will always be my pup and nothing will ever change that, besides," His eyes took on a mischievous glint and a grin spread across his face, "A Gryffindor is heir of Slytherin, it is the ultimate prank to play on the rest of the world." He reached over and wrapped Harry in a one armed hug and Harry couldn't help but smile. He knew other teenagers hated that level of affection but having been starved of it throughout his childhood he was more than willing to accept it and he relished in the comfort and security it provided.

Dropping the joking manner Sirius continued in a much more serious vein, "Actually though that will be very good for wizarding society. Each of the founders seats wields considerable influence in the Wizangamot and Hogwarts, in fact you have a permanent and perpetual seat on both. Also the rife between Slytherin and Gryffindor has meant that many Slytherins have been forced to the dark and has caused untold amounts of prejudice. Getting rid of that would massively improve wizarding society and help make sure that there can never be another Voldemort."

Harry felt a grin slowly begin to spread across his features. Not only had Sirius accepted both his parselmouth abilities and his Slytherin Lordship he had shown how it could be useful and improve people's lives drastically. He had seen enough of the prejudice towards muggleborns and other magical creatures to be appalled by it and anything he could do to change it would be welcome. "However," his godfather added, his voice stern, "You are not going to be changing things anytime soon. You need to recover fully and enjoy your time at Hogwarts. Anyway you can't actually claim the Lordships until you are seventeen."

"But that wouldn't stop me from laying the groundwork," Harry said, beginning to see the glimmer of an idea, "If I made friends in all the houses it would go a long way towards creating house unity. I mean most people only have friends in their own house and if you could change that you could get rid of a lot of the prejudice." Sirius grinned back at him,

"That is a good idea, particularly as it involves nothing dangerous or life threatening." Sirius paused, seeming to consider whether to say something, eventually he spoke again, "One more thing, I've accepted the job of DADA professor at Hogwarts." For a moment Harry said nothing, then a wide grin spread over his face and he launched himself at the animagus. Sirius smiled and wrapped his arms around him, returning the hug, "I gather you approve." Harry nodded awkwardly, his face pressed against his godfather's chest. "Of course I approve," he said, his voice strangely thick, "I won't have to leave you to go to Hogwarts." Sirius said nothing, he just held Harry close. He understood far too well the worry Harry had of being abandoned. When he had returned to Hogwarts after being taken in by the Potters he had worried that they wouldn't take him the next summer and Harry had suffered from more neglect than he had. He knew it would take time for Harry to heal and being at Hogwarts with him would only help.

Eventually Sirius released him and Harry moved back, slightly embarrassed by his enthusiastic response but he couldn't help it. The news that Sirius would be teaching had meant he would not have to leave the only person who had ever loved him and he still would be protected and safe at Hogwarts. He would still have someone who was like a parent and could help him if he needed it. He shot a glance at his godfather but saw nothing but understanding. He smiled slightly as he realised Sirius would always understand and never judge him in these situations, he had been there himself and he was one of the few people who could actually understand. He was so lucky Sirius was his godfather.

Sirius's soft voice broke into his thoughts, "We'll deal with the Lordships and your accounts in more detail later, they aren't that much of a priority at the moment, seeing as you can't do anything with them until you are seventeen so there is plenty of time to train you for that." He paused, making sure he had Harry's attention, "I want to teach you Occlumency." At Harry's puzzled look he elaborated, "The art of defending your mind. I want you to learn because I think that dream you had was real and I want to make absolutely sure Voldemort can't get anywhere near your head." He looked at Harry only to meet the fear filled gaze of his godson. Mentally he berated himself for delivering his suspicions in such a blunt way, he knew he would need to do a lot to reassure the teen now.

His gaze flicked around the study, it was a very practical room but he knew it would be easier to reassure Harry and teach him Occlumency in more comfortable surrounds. Hard backed chairs weren't that good when you needed to relax. "Come on Harry, lets go down to the sitting room and I'll explain more there alright?" His godson just nodded, staying silent and Sirius knew without a doubt that Harry was currently frightened and worrying like crazy. Placing an arm around Harry's shoulder's he steered the teen to the sitting room then sank down onto the sofa, encouraging Harry to join him. His godson slipped down beside him, staring straight ahead, staying mute.

"I'm possessed aren't I?" Harry's voice broke the silence. Sirius stared at him, how on earth had Harry managed to come to that conclusion? Just because he was having visions did not mean he was possessed, nobody had survived the killing curse before so the effects it could have were completely unknown, in fact it made perfect sense that there was some sort of connection after it failed to kill either of them. Sirius started as Harry continued to speak, "Voldemort likes to possess people, he did it to Quirrel, he did it when he was just sixteen and now he's possessed me too." The fear in his voice was easy to hear.

Sirius had to stop this before the idea took root, "You are not possessed Harry," he said forcefully. "You are having visions, I don't know why although it might be because of the failed killing curse, very little is known about curse scars after all." He opened his arms, "Come here," he ordered softly. Fear still marking his face, Harry crept into his godfather's embrace. Sirius held him tightly and with his free hand he carded his fingers through the boy's messy hair. "You are not possessed," he reiterated firmly, "In order to be possessed you would have to have come into close contact with him in the last few weeks and you have been safe here. Besides your visions place him firmly someplace else, with that rat running around after him." Slowly but surely he felt Harry start to relax, "You are seeing visions and I want those to stop because it could work the other way and I don't want you put in danger or for you to see any more killing." He felt Harry burrow deeper into his hold and he automatically tightened his grip. "I'm going to protect you and that includes teaching you occlumency." He felt Harry relax completely and he knew he had won the battle.

Releasing Harry he sat up a little straighter and Harry curled up against his side listening. "The main aim of occlumency is to create barriers in your mind and various traps. Normally this is done by maintaining complete control over your emotions," He allowed himself to grin at Harry's snort, "and compartmentalising your thoughts however I'm sure that won't work for you." Harry grimaced and nodded, he knew his emotions were too close to the surface and if he had to admit it he knew he was too hurt by the Dursleys to ever manage that level of control. He could keep his emotions from showing on his face and lock them away until he was safe but he could not exert control over them.

Sirius smiled down at him, "I was exactly the same, being the Marauder's resident hothead combined with my home situation meant my emotional control was almost non-existent so I developed another way which I think should work for you as well. There is one issue though, no matter what method you use in order to check your defences I will have to enter your mind." He squeezed Harry's shoulder tightly, conveying his apologies through the gesture, "I won't do it without your permission and I will warn you in advance I promise, but you will have to trust me." Harry looked up, meeting his gaze and searching it for something, although Sirius didn't know what. After several moments his eyes dropped. "I trust you," he whispered.

Sirius smiled tenderly down at him, relieved that his godson still trusted him after everything that had happened and would allow him to do this. "Okay Harry, my method works by using your emotions to keep people out of your mind. Emotions are usually quite complex and tangled not to mention irrational so my method works by using your emotions to make a labyrinth around your mind which will trap and confuse anyone attempting to enter your mind for long enough that you can use your fear and anger to push them out." Harry was nodded as his explanation continued,

"That makes sense; I know I could never empty my mind of all emotion or something like that. So how do I make the labyrinth?"

"It's simple enough. You choose one very strong memory to be the foundation of your labyrinth, the sort of thing you would use to cast a patronus and then you use other memories that contain strong emotion to provided anchor points in your labyrinth and then use the emotions to create the actual labyrinth." He met Harry's eyes and continued seriously, "It will take some time to learn and we are going to have to do this every day; but now you've finished your homework we can use most of that time for occlumency, but don't worry we will still have plenty of fun in the afternoons, particularly as you are now cleared for some strenuous activity which includes flying."

Harry's face lit up and Sirius could help but smile. It was wonderful to see his godson recovering and enjoying himself again. He could clearly remember the frightened, cowering boy he had found in the cupboard and the way Harry had pulled away. He was well aware there were still plenty of mental scars and that they would take a long time to heal but he was recovering. "Although," he added with a hint of a warning in his tone, "We won't stay out for too long, you lost a lot of muscle mass and it will take time to build that up again and get you to the point where you can do strenuous activity for long periods. You are going to start some martial arts tomorrow as well, although duelling will wait a bit longer." Harry's face had fallen slightly at that statement but it perked up again at the mention of starting martial arts.

"That should be fun. Learning new spells is great and all..."

"But you feel better if you are actually doing something not just learning from books." Sirius finished for him. Harry smiled somewhat sheepishly up at his godfather but Sirius just laughed and reached out to ruffle his hair. He understood completely, he had never been that brilliant at sitting and learning from books either, he had always preferred the practical to the theory and James had been the same. "However," he said, once the moment of levity had passed, "You still need to learn occlumency seeing as the Voldemort problem is current and I will not risk your safety in any way, shape or form, especially when it comes to Voldemort because I will _not_ lose you ever again."

Harry was taken aback by the fire in Sirius's voice when he spoke about losing him. His godfather would miss him if he vanished. He knew Sirius loved him but he was only beginning to understand what that actually meant. He knew that Sirius would always try to protect him and that his godfather would comfort him and care for him and he knew he was always safe with Sirius, and he could feel the love and care his godfather had for him whenever Sirius held him and he also knew that he loved and trusted Sirius in return. He knew without a doubt that he would give his life if it protected his godfather and that it would kill him if Sirius ever died or vanished and he realised that it worked the same way. It would hurt Sirius if he ever died and that thought made him determined to do whatever he could to prevent that happening because he would never willingly hurt his godfather, the only parent figure he had ever known.

"Today we'll work on the foundation. You need to find a very strong memory or emotion and it has got to be something that is unlikely to change, for example basing it off love for a crush isn't a good idea, neither is anger at a particular person because anger is more fleeting than other emotions and can overrule things." He paused, taking in Harry's puzzled expression, "I used my friendship with James as my foundation, if that helps," he said quietly.

Harry nodded, the example gave him a good idea of what to work with. He paused and searched his mind trying to find something that fit the criteria. Several thoughts he discarded almost immediately and he quickly came to the conclusion that the vast majority of his emotions, memories and experiences would be useless for creating a strong foundation but the fact that they didn't work wouldn't help him find ones that did. Frowning in annoyance he scoured the memories that were left, several memories and emotions he considered for a moment before he placed them aside, nothing he found would work. He paused, considering. He needed something that was fundamentally part of him, that wasn't flimsy and wasn't destructive.

Suddenly the perfect solution occurred to him. His desire to protect his friends, Sirius and the other people he cared about was a fundamental part of him and he was absolutely certain that it would never change; he would be able to use the protectiveness he felt for his foundation. He opened his eyes and met his godfather's gaze, smiling in response to the unasked question, "Yes I found a good foundation memory." Sirius smiled back and patiently began couching him on the process necessary to create the base of his occlumency shields.

* * *

Over the next several days he shields improved further. Moving out from his foundation he was able to use the large quantities of anger and hate to create a mess of tangled walls and the strength of the emotions was such that the walls contained several nasty surprises for anyone who attempted to enter. Jealousy, fear and pain created further layers and the addition of the happiness and love he had created a bewildering array of barriers which would confuse and shock any invader, particularly when they were combined with the worst memories he possessed, the effect was guaranteed to be disorientating. And the moment of uncertainly it created for the attacker would give him to opportunity to throw them from his mind. However the final defence was the worst, a collection of Harry's worst memories would be hurled at the attacker and they would be forced to view every single one of them before they could continue. These memories were also contained throughout the labyrinth, purposefully hidden in order to incapacitate the attacker.

But occlumency wasn't all he was working on. Gradually he was becoming a lot more aware of his status in the Wizarding World and the pureblood customs. Defence lessons had also become much more interesting, his repertoire of spells was much broader and the unbinding of his core had given him much more power at his disposal and he also found that he was picking up spells much faster than before. Privately he thought he could give Hermione a run for her money when he got back to Hogwarts, only on the practical side though, he would never compete with her for the theory, he simply didn't have the same passion for books and research that she had. The martial arts and the odd duel were also going a long way to improving his physical strength and providing him with an alternative. The grin on Remus's face had been rather feral when he announced pureblood wizards never expected muggle fighting techniques and he couldn't help but wonder what the back story to that remark was.

This holiday had been the best he had ever had. He had learnt a great deal about his parents and Sirius had given him a home and all the love he had been starved of. Also since his birthday both Ron and Hermione had come over every few days for animagus training and he was greatly enjoying spending time with his friends. The training had been less exciting with very few results, he had managed to convert the skin on his hand to fur and Hermione had managed a similar feat but both Sirius and Remus had assured them that it was totally normal and the animagus transformation would take them a long time to complete, even a small amount at this stage was extremely good. Having Ron and Hermione over also ensure that Hedwig wasn't worn out delivering letter the length and breadth of Britain and many plans had been made for the Quiddich World Cup and getting their school supplied. The ministry had gifted Sirius three tickets to the top box as part of their apology and as the Weasleys had also won tickets both the boys were looking forward to the match intensely whilst Hermione was also interested in seeing a professional game despite not having a great deal of love for the sport.

* * *

However this morning Harry was a little apprehensive. They had been working on his shields for over a week now and Sirius had finally decided that he should test Harry's defences and he was more than a little uneasy. He trusted Sirius and knew his godfather would never hurt him but his mind was his last sanctuary, one of the few places the Dursleys couldn't reach and he was more than a little leery of letting Sirius in. There were many things that he hadn't told the animagus and many parts of what the Dursleys had done to him had been hidden away as he was ashamed and he didn't want his godfather to see any of it. All of it was hidden behind his walls but he hadn't been doing occlumency for very long and he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep Sirius out.

So it was with more than a little nervousness that he took his customary position on the sofa for the start of the lesson. "Okay pup," Sirius said gently, "I'm going to try to breach your defences and you are going to try and fight me out. I promise that if I get through I will withdraw immediately alright?" Harry smiled weakly, it wasn't the very convincing but it was the best he could do. Sirius reached out and squeezed his shoulder lightly, "It will be fine Harry, just focus on your labyrinth and you will be fine." Harry leaned into the touch, grateful for the reassurance. His godfather smiled warmly at him then brought his wand up, "Legilimency," he murmured.

* * *

Sirius found himself in Harry's mind. Before him large walls rose up to almost impossible heights and he could see them moving and shifting with the flow of emotion. And opening appeared before him and he ran through, he knew most people would attempt to penetrate the labyrinth. Immediately the entrance snapped shut behind him and slowly he began to venture deeper into the maze. The walls of the labyrinth throbbed with the different emotions and he could see the variety of colours that represented the different emotions. Here the walls were made up almost entirely of anger and it washed over him, making the walls close in on him.

He reached out a single hand to touch the wall and immediately a surge of anger accompanied by a face he recognised as Vernon Dursley's flashed back at him causing him to jerk his hand away as if he had received an electric shock. He knew the walls were secure, he couldn't imagine anyone forcing their way through such raw emotion. Walking quickly he travelled further into the labyrinth when suddenly the feeling changed. Before he had been surrounded by simmering rage but now he was almost buoyed in feelings of happiness and love. The change was disorientating to say the least and just for a moment he paused, but that was enough.

A wave of memories slammed into him, throwing him backwards and sucking him into them. _Vernon Dursley raising a belt and bringing it down to hit him again and again. He could feel the pain and terror that accompanied each strike, and hearing Vernon's voice crying 'Freak' as he did so. But those cries were mixed in with voices he was very familiar with, "Take Harry and run," , "Not Harry, not Harry, kill me instead.' 'Stand aside you silly girl". And another flash, a dementor pulling his face upwards, his mouth opening, the complete lack of happiness and then searing pain, a basilisk and the voice of Voldemort, "Dying alone, forsaken my his friends, defeated by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged."_

A cry echoed throughout his mind and he was back in his own body, staring at his godson who was curled up in front of him. The memories left him shaken, his pup had suffered so much, had been hurt so many different ways. He had failed him. He had failed Lily and James but most of all he had failed Harry. One of the memories crashed down on him, his godson had faced a basilisk, Voldemort and had been near death. The realisation that Harry might not have been alive when he broke out swept over him and he couldn't prevent the tears that started to leak out of his eyes. He had made so many mistakes and Harry had paid for every single one.

Reaching out, he pulled Harry into his arms. He had to know he was safe, had to reassure himself that Harry was still here, still alive. "I'm sorry," he murmured again and again as he held Harry close. His godson was here, safe but the realisation there was a very real possibility he might not have been shook him to his very core. Then he felt Harry wrap his own arms around him and hug him fiercely, "It's not your fault." He said forcefully, repeating his statement when Sirius refused to stop apologising, "You are here now and you love me and that is all that matters."

Sirius smiled, still feeling guilty but the knowledge that his godson didn't blame him filled him with joy. He didn't know what he had done to deserve Harry but he was not going to do anything to endanger him. After a few moments he gave a shaky laugh, "Your occlumency definitely works, I pity anyone who comes face to face with your shields," He tightened his hold, "Particularly that last wave of memories." He closed his eye, thinking of all the things he had seen in that single wave. One part in particular stood out for him, he had heard Lily and James's last moments. That more than anything else was the worst, a child remembering the night their parents were murdered. As he held his godson he promised himself that he wouldn't fail him ever again.

* * *

A new update as promised, thanks for the continuing interest in this story and all the positive reviews! See you next week and please review.


	16. Quiddich

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 15 – Quiddich**

Harry woke almost immediately when Sirius shook him. He fumbled for his glasses for a second, blinking when the blur transformed into the smiling face of his godfather. "Come on pup, up you get. Wouldn't want to be late now would we?" The animagus said, grinning. Harry shot out of bed at those words, they were going to the Quiddich World Cup today and he had been looking forward to it ever since Sirius had let slip one evening that he had tickets to the top box. Unprepared for the sudden movement he stumbled and would have fallen if his godfather hadn't caught him in time. Sirius held him, making sure he was steady, "Slow down Harry!" he exclaimed, "I know you're excited but," his voice suddenly became grave, "I do not want you hurt and I'm perfectly willing to protect you from yourself if I have to." He shook him slightly before releasing him. "Go get ready, but try to stay under 100 miles an hour." Harry merely rolled his eyes in response and with a quick grin at Sirius, hurried to get ready.

About an hour later Harry waited impatiently in front of the fireplace. Everything he needed aside from his wand was shrunk and in Sirius's pockets, now they were only waiting from the message from Remus which indicated that they were free to floo to his home. Because of the numerous wards surrounding Black Island it had been decided that it would be safest if they flooed to Remus's house then apparated from there. Although apparitions couldn't be traced, due to the nature of the wards it was fairly difficult to apparate out and as they were going with Remus anyway, Sirius wanted as much protection for Harry as possible, it made sense for them to floo to his home and join him there.

Remus's face popped into the fireplace, it was the signal they had been waiting for and soon the three of them were outside the campsite where everyone was staying for the cup. The moment they arrived Sirius placed one arm across Harry's shoulder and drew his godson towards him, whilst the other hand kept a tight grip on his wand. There were a lot of people here and Sirius was not going to let Harry out of his sight, the scene they had created in Diagon Alley was proof enough that they would get a lot of attention and potential threats and he was not going to compromise his pup's safety in any way.

Harry leaned into his godfather's hold as they made their way towards their tent. He was a little annoyed at Sirius's over-protectiveness but at the same time he loved the fact that Sirius felt that way and was more than willing to look after him. Furthermore the memory of the incident in Diagon Alley was fresh in his mind and he was determined to prove to everyone that he was completely happy with his godfather.

Whispers started following them the moment people recognised who they were but thankfully nobody tried to intercept them or cause a scene. Sirius grimaced as he glanced at the milling wizards and witches, "Bloody vultures." He spat, tightening his hold on Harry automatically. Harry glanced up at him, a wry half smile appearing on his lips, "I think that's an insult to the vultures Sirius." Sirius couldn't help but chuckle at the response. As Harry's health had improved he had discovered that his godson had a very ironic and wry sense of humour and as he became more comfortable more and more of that side of him had come out, although that side still only came out after either he or Remus had said something. "I think you're right Harry," he replied lightly, although his eyes were still scanning the crowd for any hints of a threat, "Perhaps leeches are a better description."

It was with more than a little relief that he caught sight of the familiar red hair of the Weasleys. He had wanted as many adult wizards around his godson as possible and Arthur and Molly had been completely happy to oblige, not to mention Harry would enjoy spending time with his friends. The two tents were set up next to each other, Sirius, Harry and Remus would share one whilst the Weasleys and Hermione would share the other.

The instant they reached them at the campsite Ron dragged Harry off to introduce his two elder brothers, Bill and Charlie. Harry had never met either brother properly before (midnight meetings on the astronomy tower with a smuggled dragon did NOT count) and he immediately got the impression that both were just as fun filled and friendly as their younger brothers (minus Percy of course). Once the introductions were over Ron and Hermione suggested that they should go and fetch some water to cook lunch with and meet some school friends, leaving the adults to talk.

Harry glanced over at Sirius, seeking permission. His godfather had expressively told him that he was not to leave their area of the campsite for his own safety but he wanted to be able to spend time with his friends and he was used to dealing with the attention. However he didn't want to upset or disobey Sirius in anyway so he was determined to get permission before he did anything that breached those orders.

The animagus narrowed his eyes, considering the request, "Are you wearing your wand holster and has it got your wand in it?" Harry quickly nodded his affirmative and reluctantly Sirius gave his consent, "I suppose there isn't much that can go wrong, but I want you back in half an hour and if you have any trouble I want you to come straight back understood?" His grey eyes met Harry's green ones, emphasising the seriousness of his request. Seeing the obvious worry in his godfather's expression Harry leant forward and gave Sirius a quick hug, "I'll be fine Sirius. I promise I'll be careful and I'll come back the instant there's trouble." Sirius's eyes softened as he returned the hug briefly before releasing him.

"I'll hold you to that," He replied, no trace of teasing in his tone. Harry just smiled at him happily before the three of them wound their way between tents searching for the tap and their friends, eventually vanishing from sight. Sirius watched them go for a moment before sighing and turning to Remus towards help him put the tent up. "You're good for him Padfoot," his friend commented as they struggled with tent poles and guy ropes.

"What?" Sirius asked startled. Remus nodded his head in the direction Harry had gone in,

"Harry, you've made such a difference in him." Sirius shot a questioning glance in his direction, Remus sighed and elaborated, "I doubt you've seen it, you didn't have much contact with him before you took him in but he's so much more relaxed around you than he is and was for any other adult." The animagus raised his eyebrows at his friend in surprise,

"I haven't noticed that Moony." By now Arthur had started to take an interest in the conversation,

"No Remus is right," he interjected, "Harry is more comfortable around adults in general although he is still wary and I've noticed he is extremely comfortable around you. I remember the times I met him before, he was almost shut off and hidden. He certainly didn't trust us, even though he was definitely happy to be with us but it's obvious he trusts you." Sirius glanced at Remus for confirmation and the werewolf nodded,

"I've taught him for nearly a year now and I completely agree. Whilst he's become more open with me, you're the only adult he goes to and you're the only one who actually gets to see through his mask." Seeing Sirius's look of scepticism he continued, "Harry voluntarily hugs you and seeks comfort. Any other adult he'll jerk away from and would never hug them of his own violation, even if he knows them well." Sirius's eyes became pensive.

"He's still healing," he said quietly, "He may seem happy and well adjusted most of the time but then he cracks and you see he's still a frightened child inside. I'm so grateful he's let me in but at the same time I feel like I don't deserve it. He's forgiven me, he trusts me and I'm so happy to see him healing but he should never have to be healing in the first place and I can never forgive myself for the fact he does." He jumped as Remus laid a hand on his shoulder, his expression compassionate,

"Harry doesn't blame you Padfoot and you shouldn't either. You're here now and you are making it right again. He trusts and loves you and all you need to do is be there for him." Sirius smiled slightly, then Remus continued quietly, "You are a wonderful father to him Padfoot." Sirius jumped up as if he had been struck,

"I'm not his father Moony. His father is James and I could never, would never take that from either Prongs or Harry," he almost shouted. Remus raised his hands in a peacemaking gesture,

"I know that Padfoot. James will always be his father but you are now too." He glared at Sirius when he made to interrupt, "He can't remember James, and as much as I hate that, it's true, and as he never got any love at his relatives you are the only person he remembers or knows who has been a parent figure for him. I agree you are not his blood father but you are a father to him in every damn way that matters." Remus said fiercely, glaring at his friend, daring him to contradict him.

For his part Sirius was completely shocked. He had never thought that he was taking the role of a parent in Harry's life. He knew he loved his godson like his own child and he privately regarded him as such but he had never even considered that Harry would begin to view him as a father. He had never thought of anybody but James as Harry's father, it just wouldn't be right but Remus had a valid point, heck Moony was right. He was the only parental figure Harry had and in the moment he swore to himself that he would never betray Harry or James ever again so he would be the best parent he could possibly be to his godson. He was all Harry had left.

He nodded his agreement to Remus who pretended not to notice the mental struggle he had gone through as they quickly finished putting up the tent and settled down to wait for the kids to return.

* * *

The three made their way quickly through the tents, Hermione and Harry laughing at all the times wizards were trying and failing to pass as muggles. Ron laughed at some but more often than not the jokes had to be pointed out. "Honestly Ron," Hermione exclaimed at one point, "You should take muggle studies next year." Of course that comment had set off a whole bout of bickering but Harry was content just to listen and grin at suitable comments. Ron and Hermione's arguments had been a staple of the last three years at Hogwarts and they always reminded him of his first real home.

Soon they reached the water pump and joined the long queue of witches and wizards who were also waiting for water. "Good afternoon, Mr Potter," a voice spoke behind him and caught by surprise Harry whirled round, his wand appearing in his hand only to come face to face with Madam Bones. He felt his face heat up and he looked down to hide his embarrassment, speaking greetings in return. Meanwhile his mind raced through possibilities, why had she spoken to him? Was it anything to do with Sirius, did she intent to do anything, had something happened?

She must have seen something in his expression because she was quick to reassure him, "Nothing is wrong Mr Potter, I just hope you enjoy the Quiddich Match, both myself and Susan here have been greatly looking forward to it," She paused and scrutinised him for a few moments before adding, "I'm glad to see you recovering." She smiled at him and nodded at the other two, "Good afternoon Mr Weasley, and Miss?"

"Granger," Hermione supplied. The woman smiled at them then took her leave, whilst Susan stayed waiting in the queue. Harry hadn't had much contact with the strawberry blonde Hufflepuff but he knew that she was a hard worker and possessed her Aunt's sense of fairness. The decision he had made to try and make friends in other houses came into his mind and he could clearly see that Susan was alone so he grinned and started up a conversation about the school and Quiddich. After a few moments both Ron and Hermione joined in and the conversation flew back and forth as they waited patiently. By the time they had reached the pump they were well on the way to becoming friends and after promising to see her on the train they headed back to their campsite.

* * *

It was with relief that Sirius greeted them when they returned but soon lunch was ready and the group fell happily on the meal, particularly the Weasleys who had taken the early morning portkey and as such hadn't eaten for several hours. Just as he was finishing his pudding he noticed his godfather's expression becoming rather strained and he tuned back into the conversation he had been ignoring in favour of food. "Mr Crouch is a wonderful man," Percy was saying, "He speaks over two hundred languages and it's such a privilege to be working for him. You know the other day..."

Harry didn't need to hear anymore. He had heard the account of Sirius's incarceration and he was well aware of the person who had given the order to send him to Azkaban without a trial. He knew full well who was responsible for his godfather being unable to raise him and costing him his childhood. Like Sirius he held a lot of anger about the situation, however he didn't blame his godfather for what had happened, he blamed Bartemius Crouch and hearing Percy sing his praises was more than a little sickening and he knew it had to be worse for Sirius.

Leaning forward he placed his hand on the animagus's shoulder, trying to give him silent comfort. Sirius glanced up and shot a tight smile in his direction although the tense look never left his face. Remus had also noticed his friend's discomfort and skilfully steered the conversation towards safer topics, a task made easier by the distraction that arrived in the form of Ludo Bagman and the subsequent betting. However the respite was short lived.

With a crack of apparition Barty Crouch appeared at their campsite. Immediately Sirius's hand balled into fists and automatically Harry moved closer to him, presenting a united front and preventing either of them doing anything too stupid. "There you are Ludo," the man exclaimed in annoyance, "I've been looking for you everywhere, the Bulgarians want to add another twelve seats to the top box." As Bagman breezily waved him off Percy hurried forward,

"Would you like a cup of tea Sir? We were just finishing lunch and we would be happy if you joined us." He said eagerly, however before Crouch could say anything Sirius interrupted, "Actually you are not welcome here," he said sharply. Percy glared at him, his expression horror struck but Crouch's attention was firmly fixed on Sirius and his eyes narrowed and before anyone said anything further he caught Bagman's attention and disapparated.

The instant they had left Percy wheeled on Sirius his whole demeanour showing his fury, "How dare you," he cried, "Mr Crouch is an upstanding member of the ministry and you were extremely rude. He is a much better man than you are Black!" Sirius started to retort, rage clouding his features but Harry beat him to it.

"He's the bastard that sent my godfather to Azkaban without a trial!" He said, his voice so icy Percy took a step backwards, "He's the man who cost me twelve years with someone who actually loved me so never, ever say that he is a better man than Sirius in my hearing ever again." He was shouting by the end and his entire body was trembling with the strength of the emotion that had poured through him. Although Sirius still glared at Percy he could see that Harry needed him more and he reached forward, pulling his godson into a hug, trying to calm him before there was a burst of accidental magic.

He held Harry tightly, stroking his fingers through the boy's raven hair, something he knew would calm him. "It's alright pup, it doesn't really matter," he murmured as he felt Harry relax slowly. A few moments later Harry raised his head from its position against his godfather's chest to look him in the eye, "It does matter Sirius," he said fiercely, "He cost you twelve years and cost me the same. I won't stand by and let you be insulted on his behalf." Sirius smiled sadly,

"No Harry, it doesn't matter. I've got you now and that is what matters. Not what other people think, not what they say." Harry returned the embrace just as tightly.

"The words don't matter but it just makes me angry, especially when I think about what he's done."

"I'm the same pup, especially when I think of what it cost you but you're here now and getting angry won't change what happened." Harry sighed and leant deeper into the embrace, his anger finally gone. He couldn't stay angry when Sirius held him, he just felt so loved and safe he couldn't hold onto those feelings. "Better?" He nodded and Sirius released him.

"Just don't ask me to apologise." His godfather just chuckled and ruffled his hair.

A lingering air of tension stayed over the campsite however and Percy was uncharacteristically silent so Harry was quite relieved when it was finally time to head towards the top box. At least now they would have Quiddich to distract them and hopefully after the match it would have died down.

* * *

Harry was struggling to contain his mounting excitement as they waited for the teams to appear, it was likely to be a brilliant match and combined with the fact that it was the first Quiddich match professional or otherwise that he had actually seen had managed to leave him all but bouncing in his seat and not even the reaction of the Bulgarian Minister for Magic could dampen his mood.

Sirius sat beside him, failing to suppress a grin at the sight of his godson being so happy and carefree. He couldn't help but compare the lively, happy and healthy teen with the boy he had rescued from Privet Drive. He had worried that he would never see his pup actually be a child again, worried that the Dursleys had done something irredeemable but it was obvious that Harry was healing. He was well aware that they had only fought part of the battle and there was a lot that still had to be fixed and some things that he wasn't sure he would ever be able to heal fully, places where the damage ran too deep. But he would try with everything he had to help him. Looking at Harry now he knew that this was the first time he had ever let his guard down in public and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. He was the only adult Harry completely trusted and he wouldn't ever abuse that trust.

Suddenly he noticed the Bulgarian mascots were coming onto the field. "Close your eyes," He commanded quickly, "Just trust me on this pup," he added when Harry shot a confused glance at him. His godson regarded him strangely for a moment before doing as he asked. He kept an eye on the veela's from the corner of his eye and once they had finished their display he tapped his godson lightly on the shoulder. The teen couldn't help but snicker at his friend as he looked at his glazed eyes and vacant expression.

The game soon started and Sirius quickly found himself watching the game whilst keeping a tight grip on the back of Harry's robes as his godson leaned over the balcony, avidly watching the seeker plays. He gulped at several of the more dangerous moves and once or twice he pulled Harry round to face him, "If I ever see you trying that move Harry James, you will not have a broom to sit on, understood?" His pup had just rolled his eyes before swinging back to watch the game. Realistically he knew that his godson was a fantastic flier and wasn't likely to hurt himself but he had never really appreciated how rough Quiddich was, although he conceded silently, it wasn't nearly as bad as that blasted tournament and he knew which he would far rather his godson competed in. And he had seen the joy flying gave Harry and he would not take that away from him, particularly he had so few things that he could actually take pleasure in growing up.

The game ended in spectacular fashion and they quickly manoeuvred their way out of the top box before Harry could be pressed into a conversation with one of the various dignitaries by Fudge. Sirius was glad he hadn't stood in the way of the investigation but that gratitude didn't extend to letting him use his godson as a political prop.

It was already quite late so they quickly made their way over to the tents. Harry was still sleeping a lot and he knew that once the adrenaline and excitement had faded his pup would go to sleep almost immediately and whilst he would carry him if he fell asleep before they reached the tent he knew Harry would be extremely embarrassed if that happened, particularly as it was in front of his friends and in public.

Soon they were back at the tents and Harry fell into bed with no more than a token protest, the day's events finally catching up with him. Sirius ruffled his hair before proceeding to set up silencing charms around their room. He was sharing a room with Harry whilst Remus would sleep on the sofa bed in the main room. The charms would prevent sound from exiting the room whilst allowing sound in, a precaution against the nighmares. "G'night Sirius," came the murmur from the occupied bed, "Thanks for taking me to the match." Sirius smiled warmly at the lump that was his godson, "Night pup."

* * *

And here's the next one folks! Sorry it is a little shorter than normal but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. It would be nice if I broke 200 reviews (hint, hint), but anyway see you all next week!


	17. Aftermath

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 16 – Aftermath**

Someone was shaking him. There was a cacophony of noise in the background, crackling, screams and panic. The noise of a battle. Blinking, disorientated he tried to force himself to wake up and still he continued to be shaken. A single sound separated from the melee of sounds surrounding him, "Harry, Harry, wake up pup." He could hear Sirius's voice clearly, layered with worry and tension. Grimacing he forced himself to wake up fully, half pushing himself into an upright position. Darkness surrounded him but he could clearly make out his godfather's face and the lines of worry in his face and the concern in his eyes were obvious. The animagus sighed slightly in relief when he saw Harry was alert but the tension was still evident in his entire posture.

"Get up Harry, quickly," His voice was tense and Harry complied as fast as possible. The screaming was getting closer and Sirius glanced towards the sound, his eyes silently urging him to hurry. That more than anything woke him. He had never seen his godfather display anything close to fear before; or at least fear that wasn't to do with his health or injuries and the sight of his godfather obvious deeply worried unnerved him more than anything else. Only a few more seconds passed before he was fully awake, his wand secured in his arm holster and on his feet beside Sirius.

The moment he was ready Sirius grasped his shoulders and was dragging him towards the entrance to the tent, and all the while the screaming was growing louder and louder. Whatever it was, it was getting closer. His godfather was holding his shoulder so tightly it hurt and he moved a little to try and get him to release his grip slightly, it was then he noticed that Sirius's wand was already out and pointed in the direction of the screams. "Outside the tent, run towards the forest, run and don't look back." The animagus commanded tersely, "I'll follow behind, and meet you there."

"What is it?" He asked, his voice higher than usual.

"Death Eaters," was the brief reply, then his godfather glanced out of the tent, checking the coast was clear before he shoved Harry out, "Now go!" He shot a look back over his shoulder, checking Sirius was definitely following him before he started sprinting towards the forest and safety. Behind him the distorted black shadows of robed figures stood out starkly against the flickering flames of burning tents and in between the twisted skeletons of burning wreckage he could see the figures themselves, clothed in black with gruesome skull masks hiding their faces. Death Eaters, follows of Voldemort, part of the reason he no longer had parents. The flashes of spell fire highlighted fleeing figures and occasionally a figure slumped to the ground, hit by one of the curses.

Hot fear flashed through him as he realised what Sirius was doing. He was being a human shield, covering his back and drawing any fire towards himself, giving Harry a clear run towards safety in the trees. He couldn't help but glance back at his godfather, to reassure himself that the man was still safe.

One of the masked wizards had peeled off from the group and as he watched he saw the figure raise his wand and point it in his godfather's direction. A beam of green light started to speed straight at Sirius. He didn't know the spell but he recognised the colour. It had haunted his earliest nightmares and it still haunted them to this day. It was the flash of green that had stolen his parents and he would not let it steal his godfather as well. Sirius half turned, straight into the path of the speeding curse, it was going to hit him and he couldn't stop it.

With a raw throated yell, Harry launched himself forward, colliding with the animagus, knocking both of them to the ground. The flash of green sailed over the spot Sirius had been standing a mere second earlier. Then Remus was there, a barrage of spells flying towards the Death Eaters, protecting the downed figures of his best friend and his cub. "Get Harry to safety Padfoot!" He yelled, "I'll cover your retreat, just get yourselves out of here!" Shouting his thanks over his shoulder, Sirius pulled Harry upright and staying slightly behind him ran with him towards the forest, occasionally shooting off a spell or throwing up a shield.

The forest was getting closer and closer and one last sprint thrust him into the comparative safety of the trees. Sirius squeezed his shoulder lightly in thanks but there wasn't time for anything else as he transformed and started to lead him deeper into the forest. As the campsite vanished from sight he looked backwards, hoping to catch a glimpse of Remus but all he could see was figures shooting spells at one another, there was no way he could tell whether Remus was there or not.

They continued to run when abruptly Sirius shifted, catching Harry as he stumbled forward, unprepared for the sudden stop. "We're outside the anti-apparition wards," he said in way of an explanation. He took Harry's arm and held it tightly, "Hold on," he warned as they apparated away from the stadium.

A few seconds later they appeared outside Remus's cottage and Sirius half pulled him inside and towards the floo. "What happened to the Weasleys, Hermione and Remus?" He gasped out as his godfather thrust floo powder into his hands. Sirius just shook his head and gestured towards the fireplace, there was no mistaking the urgency and fear that still marked his expression so Harry complied without complaint, he could get answers as soon as Sirius had decided they were safe, but he would get answers, he had to know that his friends were also alright. With a swirl of emerald flames he headed home, followed closely by Sirius.

* * *

Sirius exited the floo with his usual grace and his gaze fell immediately on his godson, relief welling up in him with the knowledge Harry was safe and seemed unharmed. With one swift step he was beside his godson and he pulled the boy up into his arms, crushing him to his chest. He thought his godson was alright but he had to be absolutely certain, he had to know it was real. He felt tears of relief drip down his face as Harry wrapped his own arms around him and hugged him fiercely. Harry was safe. He held him securely, before releasing him, "Come on pup, you need your rest."

"No." Sirius was startled, this was the first time Harry had ever disobeyed him and whilst he was glad Harry was becoming comfortable enough to make his own opinions known he wished it had come at a better time. He just raised his eyebrows and Harry's gaze dropped. "I have to know what happened," he sucked in a deep breath and raised his head to look his godfather in the eye, steeling himself for anger but only seeing patience and curiosity. Emboldened he continued, "I can't go to bed not knowing whether my friends, Remus and the rest of the Weasleys are alive." Understanding rushed through Sirius. He had been planning to stay up until he got a patronus from either Arthur or Remus giving him the news and he realised it was only natural Harry felt the same way.

He smiled warmly down at the teen, "That's fine Harry, I shouldn't have forgotten that you would be worried too." The relief was evident in his godson's posture and there was no protest as he led him towards the sofa, encouraging him to sit down before settling down himself. Harry smiled up at his godfather. He hadn't wanted to disobey him, he didn't want to do anything to make Sirius angry with him but he had to know what had happened to his friends. But even though he was determined to wait for news Sirius had been right when he had tried to send him to bed, he was struggling to stay awake. Yawning quietly he leant against his godfather's side, resting his head on the animagus's shoulder. Sirius smiled tenderly down at him then reached out and placed an arm over his shoulders, holding him close as they waited.

To try and stay awake Harry flicked through the events of the night in his mind, reviewing them. Suddenly he froze. He had seen the green light, pushed Sirius out of the way but he hadn't actually realised before now what it actually was. What it would actually do. The green light that had haunted his earliest dreams had taken his parents from him, had killed them. Fear rose up in him, suffocating as he realised that if he hadn't acted his godfather would be dead. He had nearly lost him, nearly lost the only parent he could remember, the only person who loved him and whom he loved in return, the only father he had ever known.

Tears began to prickle in the corner of his eyes and he began to shake with silent sobs, he couldn't lose Sirius, not now, not when he finally had a home and a family. He felt strong arms encircle him, holding him close. Tears streamed down his face and he clung to his godfather, burying his face in the animagus's chest, not caring that his tears were soaking through his godfather's robes. He felt Sirius's love and comfort surround him and he knew he was safe and so was Sirius but the very real possibility that he might not have been, that he might have lost him forever just fuelled his tears.

"It's alright Harry, you're safe now," Sirius murmured quietly, trying to soothe his distraught godson. He could feel Harry shaking with the force of his sobs and he held him tightly, trying to pour as much love and comfort into the embrace as he could. Why had Harry suddenly broken down? Scanning the night's events he searched desperately for the source Harry's distress. He could remember Harry pushing him out the way of a spell, a sixth sense had made him turn, a flash of green as it passed over them. A flash of green. His throat went dry as he realised he had only been seconds away from being hit by the Killing Curse. And Harry had seen, had saved him. He was aware Harry could remember that night, he must have recognised the curse.

Sirius held him tighter, he couldn't even begin to imagine what Harry must be going through. To remember his parent's murder and then seeing his godfather almost being killed by the exact same curse, and the knowledge he would be dead if he hadn't acted. And to top it all he knew that he was the only person who Harry could ever remember showing him any form of parental love. "I'm here pup, it's alright, I've got you and we're safe," he murmured over and over again, rubbing the boy's back with his free hand, comforting him.

Eventually the tears slowed, finally stopping and Harry's grip slackened slightly although Sirius noticed he never actually let go. "I nearly lost you." He whispered, his voice muffled by the fabric. Sirius just held him, "I'm alright pup, I'm here and I have no intention of dying anytime soon," his soft voice murmured. Harry pulled back and met his gaze, his eyes wide and fearful. His godson's barriers had come crashing down and Sirius could see the frightened child staring back at him, the one who had lost everything, the one only just beginning to understand love only for it to nearly be snatched away. He felt his heart break at the sight. Harry seemed to be recovering, healing, but inside, buried deeply where few could ever see he was still the vulnerable frightened child who longed for a parent.

"I can't lose you Sirius, not now. You are the only person that loves me, please, please don't leave me," Harry's voice broke and he could hear the pleading in his words. "Please don't put yourself in danger, even if it's to protect me. I couldn't stand it if I lost you." The emerald eyes shone, tear bright, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on his godfather's face. "Oh Harry," Sirius said, then he tightened his hold, pulling his godson closer.

Harry burrowed deeper into the embrace, closing his eyes and resting his head in the crook of his godfather's neck. Slowly he relaxed in the comforting warmth and security of his godfather's arms. But even that didn't stop the worry gnawing in his heart. Sirius had survived; he was here, safe, but what about next time or the time after that? One day he wouldn't come back and that would destroy him. He had to stop his godfather from putting himself in danger.

"You don't have to protect me, it could get you hurt or I could lose you." His voice trembled and he felt Sirius freeze, "Please, please don't put yourself in danger, not for me," he begged. He heard his godfather sigh and draw breath to speak, quickly he glanced up, fixing his eyes on Sirius's grey ones, letting his fear and pain show through. "Please Sirius, please. I can't see you hurt, I just can't..."

"Harry," his godfather said, his voice rough with emotion, cutting him off. "I don't want to be hurt but there is nothing that will stop me protecting you." He tightened his hold and shushed Harry when he made as if to speak. "I know it frightens you and I understand that, Merlin knows you have lost so much already but I will not leave you and I will always protect you." Harry started to protest but Sirius merely waited patiently for him to finish before speaking again. "No Harry, you are the most precious thing in my world and I will do whatever is necessary to protect you, even at the cost of my own life. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you." He said fiercely.

Harry lay still, feeling the protectiveness and security that surrounded him. It was something he had longed for throughout his childhood but he now understood that it was a double edged sword. The security came at a cost, and that cost was his godfather's safety, something he would never risk. He started to tell Sirius this but the animagus placed a hand over his mouth, stifling his protests. "That's not your decision Harry," his godfather said softly, "It's mine." He watched his godson's face carefully, ensuring that he was paying attention. "And I will always choose to protect you." Looking at Harry's wide eyes he could see the boy still didn't fully accept it.

Gently he pulled Harry back into the embrace. "Any parent would do it for their child. Your parents did it for you and I know that they would not regret their sacrifice because it meant that you survived. They wouldn't hesitate to do it for you a second time and neither would I. I couldn't live with myself if I could have done something to save you and didn't and I know both James and Lily would say the exact same thing." Softly he stroked his fingers through his pup's messy black mop, trying to convey his conviction and determination.

Seeing the unease his godson was still showing he changed tactics. "If Hermione or Ron was in danger would you protect them even if they asked you not to, regardless of your own safety?" He asked softly. At Harry's affirmative nod, he tightened his hold. "This is the exact same thing." His godson just burrowed deeper into the hug and refused to meet his gaze.

"Blast it Harry!" He exclaimed in frustration, "You are still a child, my godson, my child! You should have been protected growing up and it is my fault you weren't but I'm here now and I _will _ protect you. You are the most important thing in my life and there is nothing that you can do that will change that or change my mind." His voice softened, "I promise I will be careful and I won't try to get hurt but I will keep you safe no matter what." His voice dropped to a whisper and he felt tears begin to prick in his eyes as he held his godson.

Finally Harry relaxed fully, accepting Sirius's words. He knew that he would do anything to protect his godfather and his friends, even if it endangered him and he could see that he couldn't stop Sirius from doing the same. He didn't like it and he knew he would worry for his godfather and he would try his hardest to avoid dangerous situations, so he could keep him safe.

The words his godfather had spoken and the fire with which he had spoke warmed his heart. Sirius had called him his child and he had clearly heard the sincerity and feeling behind the words. He had a family, he had a parent and that couldn't be taken from him. Joy bubbled up inside him as he lay in his godfather's arms, he was safe, loved and protected. He could finally be a child, finally have a parent he could remember. The only shadow on his happiness was the worry surrounding his friends back at the campsite. They still hadn't heard anything and time was slipping by and he knew that each moment that passed increased the chance that they were seriously hurt or dead.

"Do you think they're safe?" Sirius smiled down at him although he noticed that the smile didn't reach his eyes,

"I'm sure they're fine pup and we will hear from them soon." Harry didn't fully believe him but it was hard to focus on his worry. His head was pillowed against his godfather's chest and Sirius's arms held him securely, he felt completely safe and he could feel his godfather's love surround him. Combined with his weariness he was struggling to keep his eyes open despite the worry that plagued him. Giving in, he closed his eyes and safe in his godfather's hold he slipped into an uneasy half doze, his worries still plaguing him even in sleep as they waited for news.

* * *

A bright silver light intruded under his closed eyelids and blinking Harry forced the sleep away. Maybe this was the news he had been waiting for. He twisted slightly trying to see the source of the light more clearly and he felt Sirius loosen his grip, allowing him to move properly, although not actually releasing him. He rubbed his eyes, squinting against the bright light he could make out the form of a shinning bear patronus. "That's Remus's patronus," Sirius told him softly. Relief swept through him, if Remus had sent a patronus it meant he was alive.

Suddenly Remus's voice was heard in the room and Harry jumped, automatically searching for the source of the sound. Instantly Sirius murmured a reassurance, accepting it, he focussed his attention on the message. "Everybody is safe, nobody was harmed." The worry tightening his chest vanished and he slumped back against his godfather, finally giving in completely to the exhaustion that had settled in the very marrow of his bones. Everyone was safe, everyone had survived tonight and for now that was all that mattered. He heard Sirius's own sharp exhale of breath and knew that his godfather had been just as worried as him, if not more so.

Gently the animagus lifted him up and carried him towards his bedroom. Harry was too tired to fight and he didn't want to. Everyone he cared about was safe and he was protected, loved and safe, held securely by the man he looked at like a father. Before they reached the top of the stairs he was asleep. Carefully Sirius placed his godson in his own bed and tucked him in as if he was a little child. It was nearly morning but when the sun ray's finally made their way over the horizon both occupants of Black Island were asleep.

* * *

The warm light of the afternoon sunlight filtered through his windows, waking him. Groggily he pushed the sleep to one side curious as to why he had slept so late. For a moment he wondered why he was in his bedroom when he couldn't remember ever getting there, but as he thought back over the events of the previous night he realised Sirius must have brought him up after he fell asleep, and his godfather hadn't woken him up because he had gone to bed so late.

His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since the previous evening. Groaning he pushed himself upright, one hand fumbling for his glasses, finally finding them and blinking as the world came into focus once more. As he looked around his room he suddenly realised how late it was, he had already missed both breakfast and lunch and the afternoon was flying by. Sighing quietly he rose and dressed hurriedly before padding downstairs in search of his godfather and food. As he approached the sitting room door he caught the sound of voices getting steadily louder and louder.

"Malfoy was the one that cast that curse Sirius," he heard Remus say, then,

"You're sure Moony?" His godfather's voice sounded rather strained. There was a beat of silence then, "Damn fucking bastard," Sirius shouted, "Does he know what that did to Harry? I'll kill him, I'll murder that bloody death eater scum."

Harry couldn't help but flinch and take an automatic step backwards at the anger in his godfather's voice, although he knew it wasn't directed at him the years of living with his uncle had taught him to avoid the anger of an adult, before it had always resulted in him getting hit or beaten. Unfortunately the movement caused the floorboards beneath his feet to creak loudly and instantly the noise from the room cut out and he heard his godfather call out for him.

Slightly worried at the still present anger in Sirius's voice he hesitantly opened the door and entered the room, tensing up. Although mentally he knew his godfather would never hurt him he couldn't overcome the years of instincts that rose up in him whenever he heard an adult's anger. However he saw immediately that he didn't have to worry, although tension was clear in his godfather's face the warm smile the animagus directed at him convinced him immediately that none of the anger was directed at him. "Hi pup, sleep well?" Sirius questioned softly, reaching out to ruffle his hair. Harry just smiled and nodded, for once he hadn't had a nightmare, something that was particularly surprising considering the night's events. Unfortunately he was still somewhat tense due to the earlier shouting and Sirius was quick to pick up on it,

"What's the matter Harry?" he asked quietly. Harry couldn't help but look away, embarrassed. Sirius had never done anything to make him think he should be afraid of him, and he wasn't, he trusted Sirius more than any other adult but he couldn't help his reaction. The only time he had ever properly seen Sirius angry was in Diagon Alley and that had been in clear defence of him, not to mention he had been comforting him at the time as well. Anger in adults had always been associated with pain and he couldn't help the reaction that he had learnt painfully throughout his childhood.

As the silence stretched Sirius felt his worry grow. Harry only started evading answers when the potential answer was bad. Throwing a quick glance at Remus, begging his old friend to be patient he turned his attention back to his godson, noting out of the corner of his eye that Moony had sat down on the sofa and occupied himself with the Daily Prophet. "Harry, what is it?" he asked once more, his eyes scanning the boy for any sign of something wrong.

Just as he was about to ask again his godson sighed, his body relaxing somewhat, "I couldn't help it Sirius, I'm sorry, it's just something that happens, I mean..." His voice trailed off. Alarmed now, Sirius knelt down so he was able to look Harry straight in the eye, placing his hands gently on the boy's shoulders, hoping to offer some reassurance through the gesture. His godson smiled faintly although it was obvious his mind was still far away, finally he answered the unspoken question.

"It just became an instinct, you know. At the Dursley's anger of an adult meant only one thing," He paused and Sirius could see the darkening of pain in his eyes as he remembered, his voice dropped to a whisper, "Pain. I would get hit or beaten." Sirius desperately wanted to pull his godson into his arms, hold him tight and comfort him, reassuring him that he would never be hurt again but he repressed the instinct, knowing that his godson needed to say this first, needed to explain. Harry continued, now with a note of apology in his voice, "I heard the shouting and the anger and couldn't stop myself I just reacted." He dropped his head, hiding his face completely.

This was the last straw for Sirius, he pulled his godson close, wrapping his arms around him and embracing him fiercely. He felt Harry pause for a moment before the teen hugged him back, burrowing into his hold. He couldn't go back and get rid of the demons in his pup's past but he would do everything he could to give him the loving home he needed. He tightened his grip, finally feeling Harry relax totally, letting go of his fear. Suddenly an awful thought struck him, surely Harry hadn't...he can't have done...surely he hadn't thought he would hit him. He had to know, he had to make sure his godson knew.

"I would never hurt you Harry," he said, unable to help the way his voice broke, "You do know that pup?"

Harry raised his head so he could look straight at his godfather, "I do know that Sirius," Sincerity was laced through every single word, "I trust you and I know you would never hit me."

Relief swept through him and he tightened his grip, Harry knew he couldn't, wouldn't hurt him and Harry trusted him. It was only an instinct, only a product of his upbringing at those miserable excuses for relatives. After a few moments he released him and smiled as he saw Harry was relaxed and happy once more.

Harry smiled to himself, Sirius had understood, he hadn't judged him because he was still jumpy from the Dursleys, still weak. Not for the first time he thought how lucky he was to have Sirius, somebody who could understand and still loved him unconditionally despite the fact he knew better than most quite how messed up his life was and the amount of trouble he had trusting or confiding in others. The smile however quickly faded as he realised who else was in the room with them.

He didn't mind Sirius knowing about his past, particularly in light of his godfather's revelations about his own childhood, his godfather had seen it, rescued him, understood and never judged him but with everyone else he didn't know he could trust. He wished he didn't have to hide but he couldn't help worrying that maybe they would judge him, see him as a freak. Sirius hadn't but he didn't know how anyone else would react. So he hid. They knew something was wrong, heck Ron and the twins had rescued him in second year but they still had very little idea of what really happened. If they knew the truth it might cause them to abandon him and he wouldn't lose his friends. He had no friends growing up and he couldn't lose the ones he had now. He had so few friends he couldn't bear it if he lost them. Without them at Hogwarts he had nothing.

He glanced towards Remus, hoping the werewolf hadn't noticed or heard the conversation. His spirits fell instantly as he saw the horrified look on his teacher's face. He had hidden for precisely this reason, people would change how they viewed him when they knew, even if they didn't think he was a freak they would still change how they viewed him. "Merlin," he heard the werewolf breathe and he bowed his head, studying the floor intently, waiting for Remus to decry him as a freak. As such he missed the glare Sirius Black was sending in his best friend's direction as he moved towards his pup, placing one hand on the boy's shoulder and stroking his godson's hair with the other.

* * *

Remus Lupin was beyond shocked. He was aware that Harry had been neglected by the Dursleys and verbally abused, he had seen how frail and weak the boy was when he first started teaching him that summer and he knew there were emotional scars that would probably never vanish despite the changes Sirius was making and the healing he was providing but he had never even considered Harry might have been physically abused.

He knew he hadn't been meant to hear what Harry had said but his keen werewolf hearing made that impossible. His mind kept flying through the information he had learnt. Harry had been hit, had been beaten just because he Uncle was angry, just because Harry was there and easy to take the frustration out on, just because he was different. The wolf inside him was growling, wanting to protect the cub and he knew his own rage was getting close to the surface.

Suddenly he became aware of the glare his friend was sending in his direction and he jerked backwards in shock, realisation crowding down on him. Looking at Harry standing in front of him his head bowed in what was obviously fear he was instantly reminded of a night in the Gryffindor dormitories when James had found out he was a werewolf. He had been so scared that they would reject him, treat him differently and he could recognise the selfsame fear in the boy. In an instant he knew what he had to say, "I know you didn't want me to find out Harry," he said quietly, "But I promise I won't tell anyone else and I will not change the way I treat you. You are still Harry and it doesn't matter what your relations did to you."

Cautiously Harry raised his head, leaning into Sirius just in case, looking at Remus, searching his eyes for what he really thought. He could see pity and rage in the amber gaze but he could also see an understanding and a strange sort of recognition. They didn't fully support his words but they didn't contradict them either. He considered it for a moment before he slowly nodded. Remus hadn't decried him as a freak and didn't seem likely to, there was definitely a chance he would act slightly differently but he wouldn't abandon him and that was the really important thing.

Sirius's voice brought him out of his musings, "Why don't you go by the kitchen and find some food pup?" he suggested quietly. As Harry hesitated he added, "I'm sure you're starving by now, not to mention that Andy will have my head if she thinks you've been skipping meals." Harry couldn't help but chuckle, he liked Andromeda Tonks but she was a Black by birth and he couldn't deny that she could become rather fierce, especially when it came to matters of his health. Realising he was actually fairly hungry, he grinned at his godfather and sent an uncertain smile in the direction of Moony before heading straight for the kitchen where he knew Nixie would have a veritable feast ready.

Sirius let out a sigh of relief as he watched his godson leave the room. Harry still seemed reasonably happy and despite the fact Remus had overheard it didn't appear to have caused any lasting damage to their relationship. He ran his hand through his hair in annoyance, he wouldn't have chosen for Moony to find out the way he had done, not to mention Harry wasn't in the most stable emotional state at the moment, the events of the previous night combined with the events of the last few hours hadn't combined to help Harry in any way, especially when it came to delicate situations.

"Do you think he won't be comfortable around me anymore?" The werewolf asked softly, his eyes following the door Harry had vanished through. Sirius sighed and answered his friend honestly,

"It will take a bit of time to get back to the way it was Moony," he said frankly, "Harry didn't want you to know and he will wait for you to prove that nothing has changed before he will be fairly comfortable around you again and that will take time. He doesn't trust easily and he has enough insecurities that it can easily be broken." He admitted. "I'm trying to help him as much as possible but I doubt there will ever be more than a few people he will ever open up to, the damage just runs too deep."

"Is there anything I can do that will make this better?" His friend questioned, "I can't believe they abused him physically but I don't want to drive him away."

"The best thing you can do is behave as you used to before you found out." Sirius said bluntly, "He's worried the knowledge will drive people away or make them think he is a freak. It's ridiculous but..." He left the sentence hanging. Unspoken was the knowledge that Harry was still suffering from the years of abuse, that his knowledge and understanding of love and friendship was still so small.

For a moment there was silence as both men contemplated the situation. Finally Remus spoke, "What are you intending to do about Malfoy Padfoot?" he asked, bringing the conversation back to the issue they had been speaking about before Harry had come downstairs. Sirius paused for a moment his mind considering the possibilities, "I'm sure he tried to kill me to remove my hold over him, after all if I'm dead he thinks the lordship will go to his son. What he doesn't know is that I've already named Harry as the heir to the Black family but that still doesn't change what he will try to do."

Remus frowned, thinking, "How about telling him that you've changed your will so the debt is automatically collected upon your death? He wouldn't want to take that risk and if you went to Gringotts and added a suggestion that Harry should call in the debt..."

Grinning evilly Sirius completed the thought, "He would think I have actually added the proviso into it because the goblins would never disclose the actual change. Very Slytherin of you Moony." His friend just grinned and Sirius rolled his eyes before sitting down to pen the necessary letters.

* * *

A/N And here it is folks! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, over 200 reviews was a very nice birthday present. Hands out virtual birthday cake to everyone who reviewed.

I have recently started a new story but I AM NOT ABANDONING this one so you don't need to worry. However it would be nice if some of you went and read it.

Thanks for all the interest in this story and please review!


	18. Goblin Courts

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 17 – Goblin Courts **

Vernon Dursley relaxed in his chair in the kitchen, absorbed in his newspaper. The summer had been downright pleasant ever since that freak had been taken away by his murdering good-for-nothing of a godfather. And the best part in Vernon Dursley's mind was the fact that their doorstep would never be darkened by any sort of freakishness again, it was a pity they had lost the source of labour but he knew the money they would save and the ability to give their Dudley his second bedroom back was more than a fair exchange.

A sharp noise broke into his thoughts and groaning he pushed himself and went to answer the door, nobody ought to be calling at this time of night and if it was any of those freaks he was determined that this time they would not get anywhere near his nice respectable home and family. Even if the freak's godfather threw him out like he ought to they would never take that boy back under their roof again. He had been a burden and an affront to their nice, normal lives and they would not stand to be pushed around by that world any longer.

Reaching the door he yanked it open only to be faced with an empty doorstep, closing the door once more he muttered darkly about layabout youths who had nothing better to do than irritate decent hardworking folks. Turning back towards the kitchen he froze suddenly. Several figures stood before him, all abnormal twisted freaks. They were short, perhaps the height of a child with grey skin and large bat like ears. But worst of all were the slender blades each one carried, one of which was pressing lightly against his throat.

Vernon Dursley swallowed hard and immediately wished he hadn't as the sharp metal jabbed deeper into the skin and a trickle of blood flowed slowly down the blade. For the first time in his life he felt the sensation of fear which slipped down his spine and wormed its way inside his body. He was helpless, at the mercy of something he could not control, could not threaten, could not influence and he could clearly see the viciousness in the creature's eyes. All the anger, all the beatings, all the torment he had so willingly dished out floated before him as for the first time he realised just what his nephew must have felt every time he raised his hand or belt. He shook that thought from him, the freak had deserved everything he had given him and that thought emboldened him. He was a perfectly respectable, normal man and there was no reason for him to be threatened the way he was being.

That though firmly fixed in his brain his courage flared up. "Now look here," he began, "I am a perfectly decent, upright citizen and you have no reason to enter my property. I demand you leave at once." A strange sound started and it gradually rose in volume, until the whole house was echoing with it, chilling him to the bone. It took Vernon a moment but a lance of terror shot straight through him as he realised that the creatures were laughing.

The goblins couldn't conceal their mirth. They had this fat, useless human at sword point and they would be able to run him through in an instant and the human stood there and threatened them! Not to mention that the threat itself was completely pathetic and he had no grounds which would allow him to threaten anyway. Their grins grew wider and their smirks more feral as they saw the fear in the man's eyes as he registered their laughter. They had been sent out for a revenge court, and a revenge court after the crime of child abuse no less. That ensure that this worthless man and his family would be treated to the _best _ hospitality the goblin nation had to offer and each goblin knew they would love every single minute of it.

Unwilling to spend any more time in the miserable hovel that the muggle lived in, they slapped a portkey down onto him and within a few second man and goblins vanished, heading for the deep recesses of Gringotts bank. Now the real fun could begin.

* * *

Harry stood in the sitting room, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot. A letter had come from the goblins last night informing them that the Dursleys had been brought in and their trial would be scheduled for the following morning. He knew he had to attend. He was the person they had wronged and he had to give testimony but as much as he wanted to see his tormentors punished he would have been completely happy to never have to face them again. Not only would he have to see them at the trial he would also have to speak about what he had gone through and that more than anything distressed him. He had only told Sirius this information and even then he had told his godfather very little. To have to stand up and explain to a whole court room exactly what had occurred was something that he would have done anything to avoid.

Noticing his godson's worry Sirius came and stood behind him, one hand carding through his pup's messy black hair. Harry leaned into the touch, resting lightly against his godfather, "I don't want to go," he whispered, his eyes downcast. He heard Sirius exhale slowly and then his godfather moved so he was kneeling in front of him, meeting his eyes. "It will be fine Harry. The trial will mean that the Dursleys will never be able to hurt you again." Harry's gaze didn't stray from the floor and Sirius knew immediately that something else was bothering him. "What it is Harry?" he asked softly.

For a moment the boy didn't answer then, "I'll have to speak about it; I'll have to tell everyone what...what they did." The last few words were said in a whisper. Understanding dawned and mentally Sirius berated himself for not foreseeing this exact problem. He had never wanted to tell anyone what he had gone through and it had taken a lot of coaxing for him to do so.

Gently he pulled Harry into a hug, "Don't worry Harry, the trial will be closed, you will only have to speak with to the jury and answer a few questions. Goblin trials are different from human ones." He could see his words were having no impact and he changed tactics. "I will be with you the entire time, even when you are giving evidence if you want me to be there. Goblins allow the new guardian to accompany the child in the abuse cases."

"You'll stay with me?" Harry whispered, his voice broken.

"Yes pup, if you want me to." A nod was his only answer, "Then I'll stay with you pup. You can pretend you are just telling me if you want to, if that makes it easier."

"Thank you," his godson said fervently and reassured Harry was feeling a little happier, he released the teen, allowing him to stand again although he kept a hand planted firmly on his godson's shoulder, ensuring the child knew he was there for him. He felt Harry move backwards slightly, so he was resting against his side and he smiled slightly at the obvious trust Harry had for him. He was aware the trial was going to be hard, especially on Harry and he would do anything to make it easier for his godson.

He glanced over at the clock, the goblins had sent them a portkey which would allow them to travel to Gringotts and return home without having to travel through the Alley, and it would activate at precisely 11am. He was extremely grateful that they had bothered to send one; going through the Alley would have been fairly tough, especially after the trial and the last thing either of them wanted was the press noticing something was wrong and digging into his past, or Merlin forbid finding out about the trial or some of the testimony.

The simple glass paperweight the goblins had charmed glowed blue and quickly they both placed a single finger on it as the portkey activated, pulling them towards Gringotts. Abruptly the sensation stopped and Harry fell flat on his face. Smiling faintly at his godson as he remembered his first attempts at using a portkey Sirius reached down and helped his godson to his feet, checking that he had sustained no damage from his contact with the marble floor.

Glancing around he immediately noticed that the portkey had brought them to Sharpclaw's office and both Sharpclaw and another goblin he didn't recognise were waiting for them. Bowing as protocol demanded and ensuring that Harry followed suit he greeted both goblins in Gobbledygook before pausing and waiting for the goblins to make the next move. The unknown goblin moved forward, a small bowl in one hand and a lancet in the other, "We need to verify you identity," Sharpclaw spoke up, "This trial has the highest secrecy levels due to the particulars of the case and victims." Sirius nodded, he recognised the equipment, the goblins were going to verify their identity through their blood, the one thing that could not be change through polyjuice potion.

He held out his hand and the goblin quickly took a sample, dropping it into the bowl which glowed blue, confirming he was Sirius Orion Black. Harry glanced up at him uneasily and Sirius smiled warmly down at him, indicating that he should also hold out his hand. Still slightly wary Harry did as his godfather indicated and the bowl glowed blue once more, confirming his identity as well.

The air of tension that had hung in the room ever since they arrived evaporated and Sharpclaw smiled viciously at Sirius. "We are ready for the revenge Lord Black, our guards have taken great pleasure in the interrogation of the prisoners, they got great entertainment out of them, particularly the muggle man and they thank you for this opportunity." Sirius nodded his acknowledgement distractedly, his attention fixed on his godson. Harry had flinched at the mention of his uncle and drawn closer to Sirius in what was obviously fear. Reaching out he placed his arm around the teen's shoulders, hugging the boy to his side and was rewarded by Harry relaxing slightly despite the fact the boy had his arm in a death grip.

Satisfied that Harry felt somewhat safer, he turned some of his attention back to Sharpclaw although a portion remained on Harry. "I thank you for the opportunity to exact revenge for those who have harmed my godson although I must inform you this is not solely for the purpose of revenge, it is also to ensure those monsters will never hurt him in any way again." His face softened, "However this whole ordeal is hard on him so I humbly request that we can complete the trial with all deliberate speed."

Sharpclaw glanced over at Harry, his shrewd eyes noting how the boy was pressed up against his godfather, seeking comfort, his finger's clutching at the animagus's robes and the expression which was filled with apprehension and fear. "Of course Sirius, the wellbeing of your ward is of utmost importance, particularly considering the circumstances surrounding the trial." His voice had lost its feral edge and Harry supposed it was almost gentle for a goblin. "If you would follow me to the courtrooms we can began."

"Thank you," Sirius replied, sincerity laced through his voice. Sharpclaw merely waved the thanks away before motioning them to follow him.

Quickly they followed him out of his office and through the maze of passages, gradually getting deeper and deeper into the vaults and recess of the bank. Throughout the whole journey Harry stayed extremely close to Sirius, the fear and anxiety pouring off him. Sirius kept his arm firmly across Harry's shoulders, unable, whilst they were walking to pull the boy into an embrace but determined to do what he could to lessen his godson's fear. For his part Harry leaned against his godfather as much as possible, trying to use his presence to keep the demons of his past away. It was working, just not very well and the knowledge that the Dursleys and in particular his Uncle would be in the courtroom they were heading towards didn't help in the slightest.

As if he could hear his thoughts his godfather glanced down at him, compassion shining in his grey eyes, "I'm here Harry and I promise I will stay with you and they won't be able to hurt you. Even if they try I will protect you so you don't need to worry." He said softly, his hand rubbing Harry's shoulder gently. Harry relaxed slightly at Sirius's words, his godfather was here with him, he didn't have to face them alone and although the fears still beat around his mind he felt them recede a little. He was with his godfather, he was protected.

* * *

A polished doorway stood proudly at the end of the hallway and their goblin escort stopped before it, tapping the surrounding stone in a very precise pattern. Slowly, grinding against their hinges the doors swung open, revealing the entrance to the courtroom. Sirius felt Harry stiffen against him but he knew this had to be done, they had to be put somewhere they would never hurt Harry ever again and Harry had to see that had happened, he had to know for himself that they would never be able to hurt him again.

Not to mention they had to be beyond Dumbledore's reach, he didn't trust the man with his godson. He had been responsible for sending the boy there and Sirius was under no illusions that if Dumbledore could find a way to send Harry back to them he would. And that was something he would not allow. They would never be able to hurt Harry again and for that to happen they had to be beyond Dumbledore's reach, beyond the reach of anyone in the Wizarding World and the only way that could happen was through the goblins. Once they had been tried and punished by the goblin's legal system there was no possible way any witch or wizard would be able to have any influence over them or their fate again. But for that to happen they had to go through the trial and the only thing he could do now was staying with Harry and comforting him.

Gently he pulled the boy into the courtroom alongside him. The sooner they started the sooner it would all be over and they could return home. Quickly they climbed the stairs at the side of the courtroom. They would be seated above the floor of the court, out of reach of the defendants who were restrained on the courtroom floor and within easy reach. As they climbed Harry kept his eyes fixed on the stone flags below him, anything to delay the moment he would have to look at the Dursleys and face them.

Just as they reached their seats and Harry finally steeled himself to look down into the courtroom a cry of pure, unadultered rage rang through the air. Human and goblin eyes alike snapped to the source of the sound and Sirius saw Vernon Dursley, his face mottled red with anger staring straight at them with hatred clear in his eyes.

Harry flinched violently.

"Freak, you ungrateful worthless freak, I will punish you, I will beat you. What do you mean sending these creatures to apprehend us? It's your fault, I..." Sirius ignored the man's tirade, his attention firmly fixed on his godson. After his initial flinch Harry had all but cowered against him, trembling, and his movements had become more frantic as his uncle had continued and Sirius could feel his fear racket upwards. Heedless of their surroundings, Sirius reached out and pulled Harry into his arms, holding the boy tightly against him and murmuring words of comfort. He felt Harry's arms wrap round him, holding him in a death grip and he rubbed Harry's back soothingly as his godson continued to shake.

Dimly he was aware that somebody had silenced Vernon and both Petunia and Dudley had been brought in and that the prosecutor was beginning her opening statements. There would be no defence. The Dursleys would speak for themselves after the evidence had been presented, and then the verdict would be given. There was no doubt in his mind it would be returned as 'guilty'.

* * *

Harry clung to his godfather, heedless of the shudders that ran through him. He had been adjusting to living with Sirius, living with someone who loved him and he had started to forget the Dursley's, forget what they had done, forget the specific incidences, or at the very least, he had buried them deeply behind his walls where he didn't have to look at them and remember. But hearing his uncle's voice, hearing him shout the taunts that had echoed throughout his childhood, and usually preceded a beating brought it all back.

Pain. Loneliness. Fear. Memories assaulted him from all sides. Every beating, every taunt, every time he had lain injured and afraid in his cupboard swept over him and it was only the presence of his godfather that kept him from giving in to the despair and fear that accompanied the memories.

Sirius held him, protecting him, comforting him, loving him and eventually the shudders slowed then ceased altogether. He was still afraid, still reeling from the images that had flashed before him but he was safe. Despite the fact the Dursleys were there, Sirius was here with him and he wouldn't be hurt, he would be safe. It was still going to be hard, especially when he had to face them and the rest of the court and speak about what had happened but he wouldn't be alone. He would never have to go back and finally he would be able to see that it was never possible for them to hurt him ever again. Finally he would be able to see that they had gone, they were unable to reach him. For the first time in his life he would be able to be completely safe from their abuse and he would never have to look over his shoulder for them ever again.

Suddenly he became aware of the murmur of voices and he realised the trial had began. His face flushed with embarrassment and he pulled himself upright as he realised he had broken down in front of the goblins. Interpreting his sudden movement correctly, Sirius allowed him to sit up, moving away slightly although he kept an arm around Harry's shoulder, a gesture Harry was thankful for. It wasn't embarrassing and it allowed him to keep hold of the comfort his godfather was offering, something he was realistic enough to know he needed.

Keeping his eyes lowered, his cautiously surveyed the goblins, especially those who comprised the jury and judging panel, hoping they hadn't noticed. He could see waves of sympathy rolling off most of them and he winced, it was obvious that they had noticed and he felt his cheeks grow hotter. However he could see that the judging panel appeared unfazed, although Harry could detect a slight apprehension and anger in their expressions.

"Your case is not the first abuse case they have overseen Mr Potter, and neither are you the first to seek comfort from their guardian when confronted with their abusers, particularly in the face of violence."

* * *

Sharpclaw had accompanied the two wizards to the courtroom. As the one who had conveyed the request, custom dictated he should be present but he also had personal reasons for his actions. Over the years he had built up a friendship with Lord Black and he was aware how hard this was going to be for his friend, particularly as he had realised Sirius blamed himself for what the child had gone through, even though it was not his fault. As he spoke he could see that his presence was indeed necessary, the trial had scarcely started and already it was obvious that there would be several uncomfortable and awful revelations, particularly looking at the Potter Heir's reaction.

Sharpclaw hadn't been lying when he had explained that the judging panel, who had sat in every criminal case over the last seventy years had seen abuse cases before, or that they had seen children seek comfort from their guardians however there were a few facts he had neglected to mention. In particular, they had only seen a reaction which had a comparative severity once before. The case had shocked the goblin world and it had been the most severe abuse case they had ever seen. The child in question had been physically and mentally abused for over ten years, abuse involving frequent beatings, starvation, forced labour and multiple injuries. They had been lucky it had not resulted in the death of the child, they knew if it had continued for another few months it would have. Listening to the man's ranting and observing the boy's behaviour he was certain the situation here was extremely similar.

* * *

The first witness was called to the stand, and the female goblin who had carried out the health survey stepped up. "I, Krikaly of Clan Stonebrow, swear on my life and magic every word I say here is the complete truth."

What followed was nothing less than a horror show. Goblin medical scans were far more detailed than wizard ones, being able to document injuries stretching back lifetimes instead of just a few months and the list that was produced was immense. First and second degree burns, broken bones, malnutrition were all documented however after describing at least thirty separate injuries to the court Krikaly paused and sucked in a deep breath, her expression solemn.

"Those injuries were all received over a period of eighteen months, between 1981 and 1983."

There was instant uproar. Goblins surged to their feet, their expressions angry and the rage and contempt was clear to see in both the jury and judging panel.

Sirius's fingers gripped Harry's shoulder so tightly it was almost painful and Harry could see that his godfather had become almost unnaturally still. Frowning slightly as he thought of the list of injuries the healer had spoken of, he cast his mind back over his childhood; surely it hadn't been that bad? He knew he had broken most of the bones in his arms and fingers several times and he had received hundreds of burns from cooking and various punishments but still, thirty, and when he wasn't old enough to be doing the chores properly. However as he thought back he realised he couldn't find many memories where he wasn't sporting some form of injury, whether it had been from beatings by Dudley's gang or his uncle or punishments that had gone too far. He could clearly remember the time when he was about six and he had been thrown into his cupboard after and beating, and he had landed on his arm, the impact causing him to break his wrist.

Suddenly he was anxious. The record obviously held every single incident, every single injury he had ever sustained and soon everyone would know. He glanced up at Sirius, in particular he was worried about his godfather's reaction. The animagus still had a tight grip on his shoulders and still sat as if frozen.

Looking up he was surprised to see the sorrow in his godfather's eyes but what was most shocking were the silent tears that were slowly slipping down Sirius's face. Hesitantly, unsure of quite what to do, but wanting to help his godfather, Harry reached out and gently squeezed the animagus's free hand which was clenched into a fist. "It's alright Sirius," He murmured, "It doesn't matter."

Instantly his words got a reaction. In a movement so swift Harry scarcely had time to register it, his godfather had unfrozen, turned so he was facing Harry and had taken hold of his shoulders with both hands. "No Harry," Sirius said, his voice rough, "It matters more than you could ever know." Harry looked down. Sirius was wrong, it didn't matter. It was ages ago, he couldn't remember most of the injuries anyway and he was with his godfather now and it wouldn't happen again, so it didn't matter. It was obviously the wrong thing to do however. "Look at me pup," Sirius commanded, his voice strained. Reluctantly Harry glanced up, meeting his godfather's gaze and he was started by the depth of emotion he could see in them.

"Listen Harry, it does matter. You were just a child, a small child, scarcely more than a baby and they hurt you. It is the most inexcusable thing they could do to a person, no matter what they thought of them, especially as you were completely defenceless." Harry glanced away again but Sirius was not going to let him escape. Strong fingers reached out, capturing his chin and turning it gently back to face his godfather. "Do you understand that pup?"

After a few moments Harry nodded. He still thought it didn't really matter but he could see his godfather felt extremely strongly about it and he wasn't going to argue, particularly given their situation. Sirius looked at him suspiciously but let the matter drop, evidently he had realised Harry was not convinced but he would not embarrass him here, especially as the middle of a goblin court was not the best place to address the issues.

"Just to warn you though," Harry said quietly, "It isn't going to get any better."

He heard his godfather's sharp intake of breath and suddenly he found himself being pulled tightly against him. "I'm so sorry Harry, so sorry that you had to go through that. I should have taken you, should have demanded you and I'm so sorry I didn't." Harry leaned against Sirius's side, knowing the animagus needed it.

"It's alright Sirius," he whispered, "I forgive you. The past can't be changed and anyway you have more than made up for it now."

Sirius merely smiled sadly and gently held Harry against him in a one armed hug. Harry didn't resist as he liked the feeling of comfort and love that was surrounding him, not to mention it helped him keep his composure as he looked down at the Dursleys who were directing murderous looks towards the goblins, especially the healer. He was grateful that their attention was currently directed elsewhere, but he also knew that he would need Sirius to remind him that he was safe when his uncle switched his attention towards Harry again. Years of abuse and torment meant that all his instincts screamed for him to run the moment his uncle's anger was focussed on him.

Gradually the noise in the court died down as the goblins mastered their rage. An almost deathly silence came over the room as Krikaly started to speak again and Harry could see that even the Dursleys were silent, with faint looks of fear on their faces. For some reason that made him feel better.

* * *

"During the middle of 1983 we begin to see signs of constant muscle strain, consistent with labour beyond which the body is capable of. It is also at this period that the number of broken bones decrease dramatically, however there is a sharp increase in the number of burns, with twenty separate burns recorded over a three month period, four of which were third degree. The malnutrition became more pronounced and throughout this period there is evidence of virtually constant bruising and cuts, which indicate regular beatings, several injuries which appear to have been caused by a belt."

As she spoke Harry cross referenced the injuries with his recollections. He knew he had been started on his chores and cooking shortly after his third birthday and he had received several nasty burns and bruises in that period. A particular incident stood out vivid in his memory.

A few months after he had begun cooking he had managed to burn the roast when Aunt Marge had been staying. Of course they had immediately apologised to her and had taken her out for a meal however he had received one of his worst ever punishments when they had returned. Uncle Vernon had dragged him into the kitchen and placed Harry's hand onto the gas ring on the stove, keeping it there by keeping a tight grip on his wrist before he lit the stove and turned it on to full power.

He could still remember the searing agony that had flared through his skin and the fire had raged against his hand. When his uncle had finally released him the entire side of his left hand was covered by a large burn. He could clearly remember lying in his cupboard, pain flaring in his hand until it had finally gone numb. It had taken months before he had any feeling in that side of his hand and even longer for the skin to finally regrow, although it had left a huge scar.

Absently he traced over the pink lines marking his palm and two fingers, he knew that the scar would never go, even though he had a suspicion his magic had helped to heal him. He knew that the skin was never supposed to grow back after a third degree burn however his had; maybe that was the reason he hadn't shown vast quantities of accidental magic as a child if large quantities were used healing him.

Suddenly warm fingers captured his, stilling their movement and turning his hand so the palm was up, facing his godfather. Gently Sirius's fingers brushed the scars and he glanced up to look at his godfather's face. Regret and pain were clear to see as his godfather gazed at the scars marring his skin, "They're just old wounds," Harry whispered, a tad uncomfortably. He still wasn't used to anyone making a fuss over his wellbeing, especially past injuries. Sirius didn't say anything, merely enfolding Harry's hand in his, hiding the marks of the abuse.

"It's over Harry, they will never hurt you again." He murmured.

Harry smiled, "I know Sirius, and thank you."

"For what pup?" He could hear the confusion clearly in his godfather's voice.

"Being there, protecting me, loving me."

Sirius tightened his grip, "You don't need to thank me Harry, I'll always do that for you."

* * *

In the stand Krikaly continued her testimony. Throughout the next several years the injuries were extremely similar. Malnutrition, bruising and cuts, burns and the occasional broken bone, usually fingers or his nose although the number of broken bones grew steadily larger, mainly due to Dudley coming into his bullying with his gang and beginning to beat him up or go 'Harry hunting' on a regular basis.

Mutterings regularly broke out amongst the goblins watching the trial as a particularly nasty injury was revealed or several were revealed at once. Harry was surprised that the Dursleys hadn't yet broken down from the number of venomous glares that were sent their way but for the main part he tried to ignore the trial. He knew he would have to speak out but for the time being he wasn't giving his testimony and he wanted to prolong the moment he had to speak as long as possible. Resting against Sirius's side he focused on his godfather's presence to the exclusion of everything else, using that to concentrate on his Occlumency shields, strengthening his labyrinth.

Feeling Sirius stiffen brought him back to his awareness. "Could you please repeat that?" A gravelly voice asked, the iciness obvious.

"In the sixth month of 1988 my scans recorded that he suffered from two fractures in his legs, a fractured spine, a broken wrist, internal injuries and a concussion. Furthermore my information indicates that all these injuries were sustained simultaneously."

The silence that covered the courtroom was deafening. Harry's gaze swept the courtroom, seeing shock and horror on the faces of the judges and jury, he knew it had been the worst beating he had ever received but he didn't try to think about it. He had buried the memories so deeply and tried his utmost to hide them completely. It was something he never wanted to relive or even remember again. He had never experience the torture curse but he was certain it couldn't have hurt as much as that beating did. There were reasons his memories of the Dursleys were only ones he visited in his nightmares.

It was the only time the Dursleys had actually taken him to the hospital. He knew they had done so because after the beating he had been unable to move his legs and they were not prepared to deal with all the questions that would arise from him being paralysed or so grievously injured. He couldn't remember the story they had told the medical staff, most of his time at the hospital was blurry. He had been on so many different medications, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs that he had scarcely been coherent and nowhere near aware of what was going on.

He glanced up at Sirius and saw the horror and pain in his godfather's eyes. It almost made his heart break, he had never wanted to see such a reaction on his godfather's face and to know it was related to what he had gone through made it even worse. He snuggled up against Sirius's side, burying his face in the crook of the animagus's arm, not seeking comfort for himself, but for his godfather, hoping his presence would reassure the older wizard. He felt Sirius pull him closer and relax slightly and he knew it had worked somewhat.

"Harry, were you alright?" He asked urgently, not quite realising that Harry was trying to reassure him. Harry nodded, his head still resting against his godfather.

"I was fine, they actually took me to the hospital. I mean it took several months before I could walk again but..."

"What do you mean it took several months before you could walk again?" Sirius demanded, cutting him off, shock evident in his face. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his godfather's tight grip, he didn't particularly like reliving the memories,

"Just what I said. When I got to the hospital I had no feeling below my waist, I couldn't move anything or feel anything at all. It stayed like that for a couple of months, the doctors were sure I was paralysed but then one day I suddenly regained feeling in my legs. It took me several more months before I could walk properly again though."

Instantly he found himself crushed against his godfather's chest, Sirius's arms cradling him and his godfather's face buried in his hair. "You're alright, you recovered," the animagus whispered again and again although Harry got the feeling it was more for Sirius's benefit than his own. He considered pulling away but discarded the idea almost instantly. Now that he actually thought about it, he realised he didn't mind the affection, in fact he wanted it. There was nobody here who would speak to the newspapers, nobody who would judge him for wanting to be loved and with that thought he realised he didn't have to be embarrassed, he didn't need to be and he didn't want to be.

That thought firmly fixed in his mind he relaxed fully in his godfather's hold. Even though he didn't need it at the moment he soaked in the comfort offered, it felt so wonderful to be surrounded by such unconditional love and comfort and to give it back in return. Smiling, he wrapped his arms around Sirius and returned the embrace, reassuring his godfather he was still here, happy, as healthy as possible and safe. He felt his godfather's arms slacken somewhat, the older wizard getting over his shock slightly but he didn't pull away. Sirius needed him now and he was going to stay with his godfather, the man who had been there for him so many times already this summer and would be there when he had to give testimony, when he needed him once more. He loved his godfather and he would do anything for him and he was beginning to see that Sirius would do the same for him. Closing his eyes he burrowed into the hold and registered Sirius's shock at his action before his godfather tightened his grip.

Personally he hadn't minded the hospital stay and the months after it. For once in his life he hadn't had to do constant chores, and visiting the hospital for weekly check-ups had meant his uncle couldn't beat him in any fashion because the nurses would notice the bruises and ask about them. Not to mention he had received regular meals. In fact he had hated it when the visits finally stopped, it meant he returned to his old routine although it had never become as bad again. Until this summer, he thought bitterly, tensing unconsciously at the thought, they had returned to their old treatment only far far worse.

He didn't realise he had tensed until he felt Sirius's fingers stroking gently through his hair and he automatically relaxed, his thoughts of the Dursleys and his rage and bitterness evaporating. He never could hold onto his anger or bitterness for very long when Sirius comforted him and it was in the past now. All he had to do was get through the testimony then there would be nothing they could ever do to him again, apart from in his dreams. And he would get through it. It would be very difficult and he knew he wouldn't be able to get through it alone, but he had Sirius, he had help.

* * *

Sharpclaw's eyes glanced over at his friend and the child and smile cracked the normally stotic features. The goblin was shrewd and didn't miss much and he could clearly see that something had happened in the past few minutes, something that both wizards but particularly the boy needed. It was as if a shield had broken, a shield built up to protect the child but at the same time a shield no child should have, and now the boy was finally getting a chance to be the child he had never been, and never had the chance to be if the medical information was any indication at all.

Watching them now it was easy to see that something was different. At the beginning of the trial the terror had been obvious and it was plain to see that the boy was going to his godfather because of the fear but it was also obvious that he had moved away once the worst had been dealt with. He had still been clinging to his defences, not letting them down but now it was different. An untrained eye might not have noticed the difference, it was subtle but nonetheless it was profound.

Lord Black still held his godson tightly and the boy still stayed curled up in the older wizard's lap but this time it was not marked by the same level of fear as it had previously. The boy was just enjoying the comfort and no longer worrying about it or what others thought. His defences had broken completely. But what really warmed the goblin's heart was the soft smile on his friend's face, despite the pain that still lingered in his eyes, as he held his godson.

He had hardly ever seen the man so happy, even before Azkaban, the happiness Sirius had had always been marred by the war, and to an extent the happiness now was being marred by the abuse and Azkaban but still, the only time he had ever seen the man so happy was when he had come to change his will, to make Harry his heir. Both of them were healing, both of them needed each other. It may have been the least likely place for barriers to collapse but now they had he knew that despite the horrors in both of their pasts they would be alright.

* * *

The uproar that had occurred when Krikaly revealed his worst injuries had died down and she continued to list the numerous injuries he had received. Harry tuned out the rest. The level of abuse had been toned down after the broken back incident, not only were they worried about the neighbours finding out, it was quite hard to make up a believable story about his injuries, he also hadn't shown any more accidental magic until the zoo visit just before his eleventh birthday, something which had reduced the severe punishments he had received.

And shortly afterwards he had escaped, gone to Hogwarts where they couldn't reach him. They hadn't touched him after the letters had come and only in the summer once Dobby had done the hover charm. And even then they had been wary because even if he wasn't allowed he was still a trained wizard who could use magic and they knew he could do something that could harm them and would only get a warning afterwards. Realistically he knew he would have received a severe beating after he blew up Aunt Marge but he hadn't stayed around long enough for the punishment to be given.

It had only been at the beginning of this summer that they had returned to their previous form. Looking at it now he wondered whether his summer there had been his punishment for the Marge incident, after all he knew better than most just how long Uncle Vernon could hold a grudge, and the longer he held it the worse the punishment would be.

During the remainder of the testimony Harry had shifted so he was curled up against Sirius's side, his godfather's arm around his shoulders. He kept his eyes closed and just focussed on his occulmency, he didn't need to dwell on the beatings, chores and punishments they had dished out, and he knew that if he allowed himself to listen, if he paid attention to what was being said, the fact the Dursleys were just below him, he would never be able to keep his calm, and keep the terror from coming back.

He was so deep in his mind that he didn't realise her testimony had finished. Suddenly he was pulled straight out of his protective shell.

"We call Mr Harry James Potter to the stand."

* * *

Hi all, hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for all the reviews and interest in this story.

Those who read my other story will already know this but I'm going away on holiday tomorrow and I will be away for two weeks without any proper internet access. Therefore I'm afraid there won't be any updates for two weeks although I will keep writing!

I hope this longer chapter (over 1000 words longer than my previous longest chapter) makes up for that slightly and please review! :) See you in two weeks!


	19. Testimony

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. WARNING Somewhat graphic abuse in this chapter. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 19 – Testimony**

"_We call Mr Harry James Potter to the stand."_

* * *

Fear coursed through him as all the memories surged to the surface, unhindered by his shields and the depths he had buried them. He wasn't ready, he couldn't face them now. He couldn't relive it, they couldn't ask him to do it. He didn't want them to know. They would finally see how much of a freak he was, they would see everything he had hidden, every beating, every chore, every taunt. And he would have to face them, he would have to look at the Dursleys and speak about what had happened there, he would have to break the one rule that had been drummed into him for as long as he could remember. "Nothing is wrong. Nobody can know. You must not tell."

His breathing had quickened and his eyes darted around the courtroom as if seeking an escape, mirroring the fear he felt. Tremors ran through his body and he couldn't stop them. All he could see was his uncle, his face mottled with rage, all he could hear was his taunts. "You're worthless. Freak. Your parents would be ashamed, they were good for nothing drunks. And you're just like them Freak. They got themselves killed. They abandoned you."

Someone was shaking him. "Harry...Harry...It's alright, you're safe here...Harry," A voice was calling him, breaking through his memories. He recognised the voice, he knew it. The sound promised safety, comfort, protection. Trying to force the memories down he latched onto the voice, clung to it like a lifeline as he scoured his memory searching for the owner of the voice. It came to him in a flash. Sirius. His godfather, his protector and the man he regarded as a father.

With a gasp he pulled himself out of the flashback and his gaze met concerned grey eyes. He managed to summon a weak smile as he slumped back into his godfather's hold. The moment he had pulled himself out of the flashbacks Sirius had stopped shaking him and was now regarding him steadily, compassion and concern etched in every feature. "I'm alright Sirius, it was just flashbacks," he murmured although privately he felt anything but alright. All the images were swirling around in his mind, accompanied by all the pain, despair and fear that had originally accompanied them, not to mention the fear of the people who were now only a few meters away.

His godfather just looked at him, obviously disbelieving. It was getting harder and harder to hide things from Sirius and Harry was beginning to realise he didn't want to. However, Sirius didn't press him. "Come on pup, lets get this over with."

Harry allowed Sirius to lead him down the steps to the witness stand. Somebody had placed a low bench near the front of the stand and Harry was grateful for that. He was well aware that it was likely he would be up here for quite a long time and he didn't want to have to stand for the entire time, not to mention it would allow Sirius to sit beside him, staying with him the entire time.

Sirius sat down, gently pulling Harry down to join him, keeping an arm wrapped around the boy's shoulders. Harry leaned into the touch, staring straight ahead at the goblins. He was using every ounce of self control he possessed to prevent him from glancing over at the Dursleys, and cowering away. He could feel their gazes boring into him. They had been silenced but that didn't stop them from glaring at him with so much hate the force of it made him quail. He was going to stay strong, he would get through this but all his instincts were screaming at him to run, to get away, to run so they couldn't hurt him and it was only strength of will and his godfather's grip that kept him in his seat.

The prosecutor, an older female goblin, her expression hawk-like and fierce had been watching their progress and now Harry was somewhat settled in the witness stand she came forward to start the testimony. "Mr Potter, can you tell the court what your life was life, growing up in the Dursley household before we move onto more specific matters?"

Harry took a deep breath and prepared to speak when his eyes darted towards the Dursley's; a habit ingrained in him through years of beatings, to check with his uncle before he did or said anything about his home life. His uncle's features were twisted in a snarl his eyes promised the worst beating he had ever sustained if he ever spoke. He couldn't help it; years of being forced to keep quiet asserted themselves in that one moment and he opened his mouth but nothing came out. Fear rose up in him as well as disgust. He was so weak. He could face a Basilisk, a teacher possessed by Lord Voldemort himself but he couldn't say anything against his Aunt and Uncle even when he was at a trial and he knew they couldn't hurt him.

Uncle Vernon was still staring at him although as the silence stretched his mouth curved upwards in a smug smirk. He knew he had thoroughly beaten the boy. The freaks could drag them to trial but they couldn't make the freak to speak, weak and pathetic as he was, clinging to his godfather like a needy child. Harry couldn't drag his eyes away, the smirk made him feel so angry but he was still helpless. He couldn't speak out, Uncle Vernon had ensured that with the years of abuse, the years of punishments, pounding his message into him with numerous beatings, not to mention the constant stream of verbal abuse.

"Close your eyes." The command was spoken softly but it was still a command. Sirius pulled him against his side, recognising that Harry needed help to break out of the influence his uncle exerted over him, repeating the command just as gently. Harry leaned against him, latching onto the sound of his godfather's voice. Sirius repeated the command once more and with a great effort Harry tore his gaze away and shut his eyes.

The effect was instantaneous. Although the fear was still there it was not as strong as before. He still didn't want anyone to know but he would be able to do this. The memory of Uncle Vernon's face rose in his mind, but it was just that, a memory. It didn't have the same power as the man himself did. It didn't have the same power to terrify and silence him. It couldn't bring back the scared five year old cowering against the back of his cupboard, praying for somebody, anybody to come and take him away.

Sucking in a deep breath he started to speak but still keeping his eyes closed, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.

"My room was the cupboard under the stairs. I've slept there for as long as I can remember, the only time I got a room was in the summers after I got my letter to Hogwarts but this summer I was moved back to the cupboard. I don't know why." You could have cut the silence in the courtroom with a knife. Harry however was completely oblivious to this, continuing to speak in the same deadened voice, still leaning against Sirius's side, taking comfort from the presence of the older wizard.

"My chores started just after I turned three. I cooked the meals, cleaned the house, any household chores were usually mine including hovering, washing up and any maintenance such as painting the fence. Outdoor work started when I was six, in addition to the chores inside, I was responsible for keeping the garden tidy, weeding, mowing the lawn, trimming the hedges and all related work and I was also expected to clean the windows and the car."

Beside him he heard Sirius's sharp intake of breath and he felt his godfather's arms tense. But he didn't mind the reaction, it proved beyond a doubt that Sirius cared and that caused a warm feeling to rise up in him. Sirius was angry on his behalf, it was the first time in his life that anyone had actually stood up for him and tried to protect him and it made him feel so, so loved and that made it that little bit easier to talk about.

He paused, wondering what to say next. Describe your life at the Dursleys was a fairly broad question to ask and he wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say. He had told them about the chores and the cupboard, was the punishments, the taunts, the lies and the slurs against his parents involved in that as well or was he supposed to wait for another question to be asked? He was saved from making a decision by the prosecutor, who had obviously had some experience with these sorts of cases, and noticing the pause asked a second question, more information could always be found later.

"How did you receive all the injuries that were documented on the medical scans? Just general information please, I will enquire about specific incidents later."

Nodding his acknowledgment of the clear instructions Harry started speaking again, still keeping his eyes closed tightly, trying not to remember specific details.

"They were from punishments and Dudley mostly. Dudley was encourage to beat me up. He had a gang at school, they called it 'Harry Hunting' and they would play it every break time and after school. If they caught me they would beat me up. It got worse as I got older, and they got stronger." He paused then continued, his voice still dead. "There were also the punishments, whenever I did something wrong, or freakish," his voice curled around the word, "Uncle Vernon would beat me and throw me into the cupboard. It happened fairly regularly, most days I would be hit at least once and I hardly went a week without getting at least two beatings." It was taking a huge effort to keep his voice level. As he spoke events were flashing before his eyes, he had buried the memories deeply but talking about them was bringing them all back.

Uncle Vernon would take him into the spare room and close the door. He would always be taken there for punishments. The walls were white and clean, almost mocking him with their innocent colour, as if they didn't know that was the room he hated above all else at the Dursleys. The bland walls seemed so harsh and unforgiving, time and time again he had been beaten in that room and every time they would stand there and come out unmarked whilst he would be a mess of bruises and cuts and sometimes even broken bones. He could remember it clearly, too clearly.

Uncle Vernon's hand on his throat, pushing him against the wall making it hard to breathe. His hot breath on his face, sometimes tainted with the smell of drink and his other hand rising and falling again and again whilst his mouth spat insults that he knew were true, that he believed. And then the pain. Pain every time the fist connected with his flesh, pain from every single bruise and cut that littered his body. Feeling like he was on fire and when Uncle Vernon dropped him, curling into a tiny ball before pulling his way, hand after shaking hand, despite the blood, myriad bruises and broken bones, back to his cupboard.

He didn't realise his voice had trailed off, didn't realise he was shaking until he felt his godfather's arms go round him. Suddenly he realised tremors were running through his body, he was shaking in Sirius's firm hold and his godfather was murmuring reassurances, giving as much comfort as possible.

The images faded and as soon as they did he felt a sense of shame well up inside him. He hadn't been able to deal with it and he hadn't even had to describe anything in detail. Uncle Vernon was right, he was weak and worthless. He couldn't even deal with a memory that couldn't hurt him and he had broken down in front of the entire court like a young child. He was weak and a freak, nobody normal would ever react so badly. This was part of the reason he hadn't wanted anyone to know. What would they think if they knew that Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived couldn't stand up to his stupid muggle uncle and broke down just because he had a flashback? All his uncle's taunts had been right. He was a freak and weak. There was no other explanation.

Face burning, he pulled away. He didn't deserve the comfort Sirius was giving him, he was completely and utterly useless. However his godfather was much stronger than he was and his arms held him firmly, preventing him from escaping no matter how much he wanted to. Unwilling to make more of a scene in front of the goblin court, they probably already think I'm mad, he thought bitterly, he allowed Sirius to continue to hold him. It was only then the words the animagus was speaking actually started to penetrate.

"You are not weak Harry James. You have been through things most people would have nightmares about; of course you didn't come out unscathed. You are not weak, you are extremely strong. What they did was inexcusable and for you to still be the kind, loving, compassionate, wonderful boy is nothing short of a miracle." The passion in Sirius's voice was obvious and Harry was more than a little startled by his vehemence. He made a move to protest but Sirius stopped him.

"No Harry, listen to me. Most people would have been unable to stand your life and for you to have gone through all that and still be the incredible boy you are makes me extremely proud of you."

Startled his eyes flashed up to meet Sirius's and he could see nothing but truth in the clear grey eyes that were still looking kindly down at him. "You are sitting here and talking about what you went through and that takes more strength than I and most other wizards possess." Slowly the shaking was stopping. Never before had anyone told him something so simple as the fact they were proud of him and slowly he began to see some of what Sirius was arguing. He didn't believe his godfather when he said he was strong but he could see clearly that Sirius was proud of him and that more than anything else convinced him that he was going to get through the rest of the testimony, even if he had to sit on Sirius's lap to do so. He would make his godfather proud.

"Think you can continue?"

Harry nodded decisively, turning his attention back to the goblins but ensuring his gaze didn't so much as pass over the Dursleys. He was expecting to see annoyance or impatience at the very least, after all this was a trial and very few wizards were ever allowed to have a case heard here and goblins were not renowned for their patience. However to his utmost surprise there wasn't even a hint of irritation on any of the goblin's features, not even the prosecutor's. Instead most of the goblins had a look of understanding on their features, particularly those in the judging panel, suddenly Sharpclaw's words came back to him, "You are not the first child they have seen seek comfort from their guardian in cases like this." So maybe his reaction was normal, perhaps they had expected this, which was why they weren't really reacting to it.

Noting that Harry had recovered somewhat the prosecutor stepped forward to continue the questioning.

"How did you receive the two fractures in your legs, a fractured spine, a broken wrist, internal injuries and a concussion during the June of 1988?"

Harry suddenly felt extremely glad Sirius hadn't allowed him to escape, still had him tightly wrapped in an embrace. The memory of that beating was one of the worst he had; it only came second to hearing the murder of his parents. It hadn't just been the awful pain of the injuries but the taunts that Uncle Vernon had delivered had been some of the harshest he had ever had heard. Keeping his eyes focussed on his godfather, hoping that would prevent him from having a flashback he drew breath and started to speak.

"It was the worst beating I had ever received. When I took my report home from school at the end of the summer term it said I had received a detention for being found on the school roof even though I didn't know how I got up there. I now know it was accidental magic and I apparated in order to escape Dudley and his gang who were chasing me and that my Aunt and Uncle were also aware that it was accidental magic." He spoke in a measured tone but Sirius could feel how tense his godson was and he knew that the calm facade he was showing was just that, an act. Tenderly he rubbed Harry's back with one hand but it seemed to make no difference.

"They waited until the summer holidays and until Dudley was in bed. They didn't want the school to become suspicious, and they would be if I stayed off too long because of an 'illness' and they didn't want to frighten Dudley...

"_You used your freakishness didn't you boy?" Uncle Vernon spat, his face a mottled red and the stench of whisky on his breath. "It isn't enough that you come here and poison our lovely normal household with your filth but you have to do it where people can see you. You'll make them think we're freaks boy and I won't stand for that." His voice had gone cold and somehow it was all the more frightening for that. _

"_Your punishments haven't worked before so I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't ever forget. I'm going to stamp it out of you once and for all." He could see the crazed light in his uncle's eyes and the anger that was only fuelled by the excessive amounts of alcohol he had consumed._

_Whimpering Harry pulled back until he was pressed against the wall of the guest room. "NO UNCLE, PLEASE." He screamed. "I didn't do anything, I don't know what happened. Please don't punish me, please, please." A sharp kick to the ribs cut his begging off instantly and he curled in on himself, gasping as he tried to breath around the pain in his chest._

"_You pathetic wretch. If you make one more sound I will lock you in your cupboard for the entirety of the summer understand?" Too frightened to speak Harry simply nodded. "I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" He roared._

"_Y-y-yes sir." His eyes were wide and frightened, emerald orbs filled with terror. It was an expression no eight year old should ever possess._

_The smile had returned to Vernon's face. It showed an almost sadistic pleasure in the terror it was about to inflict on a small child and for Harry it promised nothing more than the worst pain he had ever felt. Still grinning manically, he reached into a cupboard and pulled out an old cricket bat, the wood hard and unyielding. Harry blanched, all blood flowing from his face and instantly he curled up into a tight ball, his hands coming up to protect his face. There was nothing he could do. No other defence he could hide behind, all he could hope to do was protect his face and chest._

_The bat rose in preparation for the first blow and Harry pulled himself into the smallest ball he could, trying to provide the smallest target he could but still knowing that the pain would come and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He couldn't even scream._

_The bat fell, hitting his back with a sickening crunch. Pain flared along his spine instantly and Harry bit his tongue so hard it bled to keep the scream locked up in his throat. But he couldn't control his body. At the first blow his legs jerked outward, pulling him out of his foetal position and sending him sprawling to the floor. Between that blow and the next he yanked his hands up to cover his face once more, the pain that lanced up his back every time he tried to move preventing him from returning to his original position._

_Blows rained down on him, the cracks they made as the impacted with his body mingled with the roaring of his blood in his ears and the taunts his uncle was screaming at him._

_Pain screamed from his legs as blow after blow hit him. From the agony coursing through his body he was certain that at least one if not both his legs were broken and still his uncle's words were ringing in his ears. "FREAK! WORTHLESS FREAK! YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED! DIED WITH THOSE MISERABLE EXCUSES OF PARENTS AND THEN WE WOULD NEVER HAVE TO BE BURDNED WITH YOU! FREAK!" _

_The agony was building and building and building. His body thrashed on the floor, desperately trying to escape the pain that engulfed it but there was nowhere to go. Blood filled his mouth and dribbled out onto the wooden floor, leaving crimson trails. His hands were stained red and he could see the edge of the bat was slick with his blood._

_Then, miraculously the blows stopped. Harry couldn't believe it, he had managed not to scream, maybe now the beating would be over. One glance at his uncle's face dispelled that idea immediately. Rage was still plain to see in his entire posture._

_A hand reached down and grabbed his throat, yanking him upwards. "You will wish you died along with your bitch of a mother, freak." He whispered, his voice deadly. He threw Harry back down onto the floor then the bat rose and was wacked down on his spine. It collided with a sickening crack and Harry's body arched. Pain more intense than anything he had ever felt before surged through him for a split second and the scream he had fought so valiantly to keep locked up was torn from his throat._

_Then he collapsed as blessed, blessed numbness flooded through his legs although pain still lanced up his back. Uncle Vernon grabbed him and flung him against the wall, the impact causing his head to snap back and his vision to start swimming. "I thought I told you to make no noise," he growled. Throwing the bat to one side he proceeded to beat Harry with his fists, blows connecting one after another in a single strand of agony._

_Pain. Blackness. Pain. Blackness. Harry couldn't stay awake. Flashes of pain rushed through him, keeping him awake but the blackness was yawning, getting wider and wider with each passing second. He was sinking deeper and deeper. Everything, including Uncle Vernon was fading, soon they would be gone, the pain as well. He welcomed the blackness. Soon it would all vanish._

"I don't remember any more. I woke up in the hospital but that whole period is still rather hazy. The medicine they gave me meant I was asleep half the time and the rest was clouded by the painkillers." Harry's voice came to a stop in the now silent courtroom. Almost detachedly he realised his cheeks were wet and tears were still pouring down them. He couldn't remember when he started crying.

There was a beat of absolute stillness in the courtroom when he finished then he found himself crushed against Sirius's chest. His godfather's arms wrapped around him and holding onto him as if Sirius thought he was about to disappear. Harry's face was buried against his godfather's chest and his hands gripped the animagus's robes tightly and he had no intention of letting go. His hair was wet, not from his own tears but Sirius's and his own tears were soaking his godfather's robes but he didn't care, not anymore, no matter what his audience thought. The memories had been too painful, too hard to relive.

All around them the goblins were in uproar. Abuse was completely taboo in their culture and to hear the account of his beatings, to realise those beasts cared so little for the child in their care that they had injured him so badly that he would have been paralysed except for an outburst of accidental magic in the hospital. Yes there were abuse cases in the goblin world but none so severe as this one.

But Harry ignored the shouting and the fury that surrounded him. It was over, he had done it. He had told the entire court the worst memories he had of the Dursleys treatment, yes there were still horrible stories but the worst was over and he had survived it. He was scared and shaken and he felt as if a hundred dementors had been alongside him whilst he was giving his testimony, forcing him to relive the pain and despair of that night but he had done it and Sirius was here, holding him as if he planned never letting go. And that was perfectly alright with Harry. He clung to Sirius, tears still streaming down his face. He could remember it too clearly, he could feel the ghost of the searing pain fill him and only the presence of Sirius reminded him he was no longer there, he was safe and they couldn't harm him anymore.

And it was only going to get easier now. The memories were still awful but now he had conquered the worst ones the others would come more easily. He had beaten them, finally he had broken away from the Dursleys and managed to face up to what they had put him through. It had only taken him reliving one of his worst memories but it was a start. Now the healing could properly begin.

There were a few more questions after that and although his voice shook and he still stayed in Sirius's lap, tear tracks marking his face Harry answered them all. He still hated every single moment he was on the stand but he was able to cope, he didn't break down again. He had to close that part of his life, he had to get rid of the stain they had poured over his life and the shadow they covered him in. And so he talked.

Once he had started the words didn't seem to stop. They poured out of him, describing his treatment in minute detail, every taunt, every rule, every beating, nothing was left out. The entire time Sirius stayed with him, holding him in an embrace and providing support just by his presence.

Finally he was finished. The rush of words ceased and he rested his head against Sirius's shoulder, suddenly tired. He had bared his entire life with his relatives and it had hurt but for some reason he felt better, much happier than he had ever felt before. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted, leaving a more complete person behind. He knew there were still scars, some which would never fade and that he would still have problems trusting and he would still have nightmares and worry but he had managed to rid himself of a large portion of their influence. He would never be quite so frightened of Uncle Vernon again.

Sirius stood, helping Harry to his feet and leading him back to their seats, his arm still wrapped around the teen. For his part Harry just allowed himself to be led and as soon as they reached their seats he sank down next to Sirius and curled up against his godfather's side, his head pillowed against Sirius's shoulder. His godfather wrapped one arm around him protectively and Harry smiled wearily before closing his eyes and burying his face in his godfather's robes.

He was emotionally exhausted. The testimony had taken him through panic, fear, despair, resolve and finally relief mixed with hope. He had seen some of his worst memories and finally confronted the people who had made his life hell ever since he was old enough to walk and it was over. They would never hurt him again, except in his nightmares and he had Sirius now, he had a family, a father in all but blood and despite the problems that would arise he knew he was loved.

He didn't want to hear the Dursley's defence. It would only hurt him if he listened to it and maybe even bring back some of the doubts, some of the memories. Harry focussed his attention on his godfather, to the exclusion of everything else. He could hear the jagged heartbeat and he could feel the slight movement of Sirius's breath as it flowed through the animagus's lungs. He wouldn't be able to sleep, not here, not with their presence but he could do the next best thing. He relaxed as far as he was able, Sirius's strong arms holding him securely. He was safe.

* * *

Sirius clenched his jaw tightly. It was the only thing he could do without alerting Harry to his anger. Listening to the account of Harry's experiences at the hands of the bastards he called his Aunt and Uncle had filled him with rage and it was only the presence of Harry, snuggled against his side that was preventing him from jumping up and cursing them with every dark hex he had ever been forced to learn by his family. He had known that they had done awful things to Harry but hearing the account of his worst beating left him feeling cold. Harry had been paralysed, if he hadn't done accidental magic he would never have walked again, never ridden a broom, would never have had the chance to run around Hogwarts or do so so many things.

Sorrow and grief filled him, Harry had been hurt so badly, and not just physically but emotionally as well and it was his fault. If he hadn't suggested the switch in secret keepers, if he hadn't gone after the rat instead of looking after his godson Harry would never have had to go through that hell. Harry had forgiven him, he didn't blame him but that didn't stop him blaming himself. It was his fault and although he would never be able to reclaim those years he had spent in Azkaban whilst Harry was being tortured by his relatives, he would do everything in his power to give Harry all the love and affection had been missing. To be the parent Harry had never been able to have.

Sirius's eyes narrowed as Vernon Dursley was un-silenced for the first time since his outburst at the beginning of the trial. He knew that everybody deserved a chance to speak in their own defence, his experiences had shown him more clearly than anyone else that everyone deserved a trial, there was always and chance no matter how small that they were actually innocent. That thought however did not stop the hate he felt for the man to stir, the person who had dared to hurt his godson. The person he was sure would be found guilty.

* * *

Held back by several heavy restraints Vernon Dursley made his way slowly to the stand. Sirius smiled in vicious satisfaction as he noticed that the bastard was limping, evidently the goblins had tormented him physically before the trial had started. On his way to the stand Vernon glared straight at Harry, his mouth curling up in a sneer that greatly resembled Snape and his eyes glinted with rage. Reflexively Sirius tightened his hold and pulled Harry closer. There was a short pause then, "What's wrong?" His godson asked quietly, not moving from his position at Sirius's side. Sirius's free hand came up and brushed gently through his pup's messy black hair. "Nothing's wrong Harry," he replied softly, "It's just your Uncle, and I'm a little protective and angry at the moment." The only response was Harry reaching out and wrapping his arms around his godfather and Sirius couldn't help but smile at the caring and compassionate nature of his godson. That was definitely something he had inherited from Lily.

"Vernon Dursley, you are called to present your defence for the allegations of abuse to one Harry James Potter Heir Apparent."

"Now look here," Vernon began angrily, "I don't know what you freaks are thinking which made you drag us all the way out here and make us sit through this farce of a trial but I will not stand it, do you hear me! It's kidnapping plain and simple and my family and I want nothing to do with your freakish world and abnormal people. It's bad enough we had to have one of them in the house in the first place." His voice was getting louder and louder and Sirius could feel Harry starting to tremble although he could see his godson was trying his hardest not to pay attention. Gently he started stroking his fingers through Harry's hair, hoping the gesture would remind Harry that he was here and that Sirius was with him and wouldn't let the bastard hurt him ever again.

Vernon turned and levelled a hate filled glare straight at Harry. "It's all that freak's fault. He came into our nice normal lives and disrupted them. We swore we wouldn't have one in the house! Swore we'd stamp it out of him but no he had to get a letter didn't he! He had to be one of them. He deserved it, he deserved to be punished, he deserved everything he got!" Vernon's voice had risen to a shout and Sirius felt anger well up inside him.

How dare that thing sit there and say his godson deserved to be punished, deserved the beatings! No child ever deserved treatment like that but definitely not Harry, not his wonderful, kind, loving child! He was on his feet, his wand pointing straight at Vernon, cold fury etched on his face. "Say that again Dursley," he hissed menacingly, one arm still wrapped around Harry, holding the boy tightly against him and trying to reassure him that his anger was not directed at him.

* * *

Harry clung to Sirius. He had been taken by surprise when his godfather had surged to his feet but he had quickly managed to get to his own feet, still keeping his grip on his godfather and Sirius's arm still holding him tightly, showing him that the fury Harry could feel throbbing around him was not directed at him but rather at his Uncle. But even with his face still buried in Sirius's robes he could clearly hear the sneer in his uncle's voice as he replied.

"He's a pathetic, weak, worthless freak. Look at him! Not even man enough to face the truth! Instead he hides behind you like a child, freak that he is."

Sirius's voice was soft when he spoke again, but it didn't lose any of its bite or potency.

"He is still a child. As much as child as your son, more of a child even. A child who deserves a family, a home, love. Something you seem to have forgotten when you shut him up in a cupboard, treated him like a slave, beat him and taunted him. And a wonderful child like him is something you could never be or understand Dursley."

Vernon Dursley stood there, mouth open, unable to think of a reply. The comment about Dudley had hit home.

Anger spent somewhat, Sirius sat down once more, gently pulling Harry into an embrace, smiling as Harry relaxed and returned the hug. As Vernon Dursley was dismissed from the stand the goblins started their deliberations. Sirius knew that with the evidence that had been presented and the lack of any proper defence it was only a matter of how severe the punishment would be and looking at the fierce shouting and gesturing in gobbledegook, there was certainly a large amount of disagreement.

His attention was distracted by his godson. After the confrontation Harry had curled up against him and had wrapped his arms around him, refusing to let go. In a quiet voice, so that nobody else could hear he whispered, "Why Sirius?"

"Why what pup?" Sirius asked softly, his face betraying his confusion. Harry raised his head from its position against his godfather's chest and looked up, Sirius was startled to see the pain and trouble in his eyes. "Why did they hate me? What did I do to make them do that?" The simplicity of the question tore at his heart. But the inflection that it might have been Harry's fault in whatever way was even worse.

"You didn't do anything pup." He replied, his voice tender. "You did nothing to deserve it, it was no way your fault." Harry's emerald eyes were fixed on his, searching for any signs of deceit. "You were only a baby when they started, and you are still just a child. There is nothing you could ever do that would have warranted what they did to you, it was completely inexcusable."

"But why?" Harry's voice was barely a whisper and the hurt was plain to see. Sirius pulled him closer and held him gently, letting his love surround his godson.

"I don't know pup," he replied quietly. "I don't understand how anyone could hurt a child and especially you." Harry met his gaze for several more moments before smiling slightly and resting his head against his godfather's chest once more. A sad smile tugged at Sirius's lips. Harry was here and safe but the fact that they had to have a trial in the first place only reminded him even more strongly of his failure when it came to his godson. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss into Harry's messy hair. "I love you Harry," he whispered, "And I am so, so proud of what you have done today."

* * *

The goblins had finished their deliberations. The leader of the judging panel walked forward, his expression set. Slowly he raised his hand and instantly the whole courtroom fell silent, waiting for him to speak.

"We were assembled today to investigate the crime of child abuse at the call of Sharpclaw on behalf of Lord Black and his ward Harry Potter Heir Apparent." He paused for a moment, allowing the charges to sink in before continuing. "The evidence we have been presented shows a systematic system of abuse, all aimed at harming the child both physically and emotionally and the revelations today have shown this case to be the worst ever to have been heard in a goblin court since our founding. As such the sentences are as follows;"

"To Mr Vernon Dursley: Firstly the entirety of your estate is to be confiscated and added to the Potter Vaults as monetary compensation for the wrongs against him. Secondly you are given 57 life sentences in the Mines of Kirth-Sevn."

"To Mrs Petunia Dursley nee Evans: You are given 19 life sentences in the Mines of Kirth-Sevn."

"Lastly to Dudley Dursley: As you are still a minor and you actions were heavily influenced by your parents your sentence has been adapted to compensate. You will serve 20 years in the Mines of Kirth-Sevn before you will be oblivated, de-aged and provided with a new identity before you serve a year in a secure muggle young offenders facility before you will rejoin muggle society."

A single life sentence in the mines was harsh, it would involve backbreaking labour, little food, being kept in isolation for the entirety of the sentence with no parole. And multiple life sentences were more than just a formality, when the Dursleys approached the end of their natural life cycle they would be de-aged to young people before living out their second sentence, a cycle which would be repeated until all their life sentences had been spent. Only then would they be allowed to die.

It would be 2850 years before Vernon Dursley would be allowed that escape and he would beg for death before the end.

The goblin's gaze surveyed the Dursleys, seeing for the first time expressions of fear on their faces as they realised what this actually meant, that they were actually in trouble that they couldn't get out of. Then, "Take them away." He barked. Instantly goblin guards sprang into action, taking the Dursleys at sword point they were lead out of the chamber to begin their sentences.

* * *

Harry collapsed against Sirius, relief flowing through him. The Dursleys were gone. They would never, ever be able to reach him again. He could scarcely believe it, the people who had tortured him all his life, throughout his entire childhood were gone and nothing would ever be able to bring them back. He was free, for the first time in nearly thirteen years he was completely free. He felt tears spring into his eyes, tears of relief but he couldn't turn away until the Dursleys were completely gone. He had to watch, had to see for himself that they had been taken away just so he could believe it was real. He held his tears back until they had gone then he turned, burying his face in Sirius's chest so that nobody would see his tears, see his complete and utter relief that it was over. It was finally, completely and utterly over.

His godfather held him, stroking his fingers through his hair and letting him cry. He didn't say anything, he just held him tightly, letting Harry soak his robes with his tears and for that Harry was grateful. He wasn't sure he could cope with anything more, all that filled him was relief and there wasn't anything he could do to stop his tears or calm him down.

Slowly the tears stopped and he felt Sirius's hand on his shoulder encouraging him to stand. Shakily he stood, tear tracks marking his face. He saw Sharpclaw murmuring something to his godfather and he saw the flash of surprise that crossed the animagus's face followed by the nod of acquiescence. "The head judge wants to speak with us before we leave Harry," he said quietly. "There isn't anything wrong," he added hastily when he saw the fear that sprung into Harry's face at his words.

Sharpclaw led them both down to the floor of the courtroom where a regal looking goblin stood, his face still set in stern lines, however these lost some of their strength as his gaze fell on Harry. "Come here young one," he commanded, his gravelly voice somehow containing a compassion that few had ever heard. Glancing up at Sirius worriedly, Harry hesitantly started towards the goblin. He shivered slightly, here in the courtroom he suddenly felt very exposed without Sirius beside him.

"Your father may join you, although you need not be afraid young one." Confusion was etched on Harry's face and he glanced back at Sirius, asking the goblin a question with his eyes. Yes he regarded his godfather as a father figure but how on earth did the goblin know and why did he refer to Sirius as such?

"He may not be your father by birth or blood but he has become your father through trust and love." The goblin said. Harry smiled and threw a look at Sirius, asking him to come with his eyes. The animagus nodded slightly and soon Harry felt his hand resting firmly on his shoulder. A large portion of his fear evaporated as he leaned into the comforting touch. With a few quick strides they were standing in front of the goblin, meeting his eyes respectfully as Sirius had taught him. For a moment the goblin's expression lightened, before it sobered once more.

"Young one, you have endured much for one your age and have become strong because of it but you still have wounds that need healing. You must not be afraid to ask for help, despite the experiences that have forced you to rely only on yourself. Your father loves you child, let him help you and cherish his support. I have seldom seen a parental bond so strong between two individuals and you are blessed because of it. However I would like to extend the blessings of the goblin race over you, to aid in your healing. Wounds from those who should have cared are always the hardest to heal."

Pressure from Sirius's hand indicated that he should kneel and he quickly complied, bowing his head to accept the blessing. The ancient goblin chanted for several moments, the guttural language rising and falling in cadences. Then he reached out his hand and laid it on Harry's head, palm across the scar. It stayed there for a few moments before the goblin pulled his hand back, his expression furious.

"Will someone please tell me how in Ymir's name this boy is a horcrux?

* * *

Hi everyone, I got back from my holiday at midnight last night and I had a great time. I read the reviews this morning (thanks for them by the way) and I thought you all deserved a new chapter today. For those reading AGB it will be updated tomorrow and after after that I should be back to weekly updates unless you hear otherwise.

So anyway, hope you enjoy this and please review!


	20. Ritual

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 19 – Ritual**

"_Will someone please tell me how in Ymir's name this boy is a horcrux?"_

* * *

Sirius blanched and in the same instant he reached out and hauled Harry to his feet, pulling him into a protective hold. His face showed shock as well as horror, fear and repulsion. Harry stiffened at the unexpected touch and he tensed further as he took in his godfather's expression, what was so significant about a horcrux that it could produce such a reaction in his godfather, not to mention would Sirius push him away now, seeing as he was one and the revulsion on his godfather's features was plain to see.

"S-Sirius?" He asked, his voice trembling, unable to formulate a proper question, unable to voice his fear.

Sirius glanced down, his expression immediately turning apologetic as he took in the fear in his godson's eyes. "I'm sorry Harry, I didn't mean to frighten you, the question just took me by surprise."

"You don't hate me because I'm a horcrux?" He asked in a small voice. He could still see the fear and horror in his godfather's eyes and despite the reassurance and apology he had to know for certain, had to know that the love and affection he had been given over the past few weeks was not about to be snatched away.

"No Harry, sweet Merlin no!" Sirius tightened his grip and pulled Harry towards him until he was held securely against his chest, "I could never hate you Harry. You are my godson, my child and there is nothing that could make me hate you." His voice was laced with sincerity but Harry couldn't match the horror he had seen in his godfather's eyes with the words he was speaking.

"But you are so angry, it is obvious that you are repulsed by the idea of a horcrux." Harry said quietly. He wanted to believe Sirius, and part of him did, he trusted Sirius more than any other adult and his godfather hadn't been driven away by the revelations in the trial, instead he had offered comfort. He could see the sincerity in every word the animagus spoke but at the same time the look in his eyes was unmistakable, he had seen it many times when Uncle Vernon looked at him, and even though Sirius was holding him tightly he couldn't help but worry, couldn't help but think that somehow, someday everything would turn out to be too good to be true and Sirius would withdraw his love.

Seeing the conflict and fear in his godson's eyes, Sirius knelt down so he was able to look straight into Harry's eyes, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders. "I don't hate you pup, I could never do so. I hate the fact that this was forced upon you, I hate the fact that such evil magic was used on you and that someone has made you into one and hurt you because of it, I hate the fact I couldn't protect you from this, that I've failed you again but I could never, would never, ever hate you." The light was coming back into the boy's expression and Sirius could see that Harry desperately wanted to believe him. He opened his arms, "Come here pup," he commanded softly. There was a brief hesitation then Harry stepped forward, straight into his godfather's embrace, resting his head on Sirius's shoulder. The animagus held him in a tight grip, letting all the love he had for his pup flow into the embrace. Soon he felt Harry relax totally and he stood slowly, being careful to pull Harry up with him, still not releasing his grip.

Harry snuggled deeper into his godfather's hold, his worries assuaged by the vehemence he had heard in Sirius's voice and the love he could feel surrounding him. Now he thought about it he felt ashamed. He had been so quick to believe that his godfather would hate him and push him away even though everything Sirius had done for him showed clearly how much he cared for him and Sirius had told him so many times that he loved him and he had been there for him throughout the whole of the trial. And he hadn't become angry when Harry had questioned him, even though he had every right to have been frustrated or annoyed, instead he had been understanding and had comforted him. Harry felt gratitude well up inside him. He was so lucky he had Sirius.

* * *

The instant the elder had shouted several goblins had hurried away into the tunnels that created Gringotts, all searching for various goblins and items. Horcruxes were abominations to the goblin race and coupled with the fact a child had been made one ensured that they were going to do everything in their power to get rid of it. Once the elder finished belting out orders he turned back to the two wizards taking in their position at a single glance, seeing the disgust and fear in Sirius's eyes but also the protective embrace he held his godson in and the almost defiant expression that lurked behind his features.

"I take it you know about horcruxes then Lord Black." His voice was measuring, assessing.

"I know of horcruxes and I also know they are the most evil form of magic, something which no one, be they light or dark should ever use. It was something I devoted the meanest amount of studying possible to, without incurring the wrath of my family." His voice was flat, but his eyes betrayed the worry he was feeling.

The goblin nodded once, sensing nothing evil about the wizard in front of him. Frankly he had been surprised the wizard had even heard of those abominations, they were one of the darkest arts and few delved deep enough to discover their existence and it was odd that a man with such a pure soul should have even heard of them, normally anyone who delved into the dark became tainted by their evil. His gaze switched to the child, he could see the fear there, however it was only a reflection of the older wizard's fear. He was worried because he could see his godfather was worried and it was obvious he had no knowledge of horcruxes whatsoever. And that is how it should be, the elder thought, no child should have to bear that sort of burden but it seemed that this child was fated to carry many burdens, not least the one of his abuse.

"I fear it is down to me to speak of these abominations to both of you. We cannot proceed before we all understand what is at stake here."

Sirius's eyes widened as realisation flashed through him. A horcrux could only be destroyed when the vessel was destroyed past magical repair. In order for the horcrux to be removed Harry would have to die, and that was something he couldn't allow. Yet every moment Harry lived he tethered someone who was more than evil to life. He clutched Harry to him, he would not lose Harry, he would not allow Harry to die. His godson looked up at him in puzzlement but Sirius didn't loosen his hold and Harry made no move to get away. He seemed to realise that there was something he didn't understand, something powerful enough to frighten his godfather.

The elder started to speak. "A horcrux is the darkest form of magic, creating one renders the creator immortal so long as the horcrux survives. The creator splits their soul by the cold-blooded murder of an innocent and stores the portion of their soul in an object, very occasionally an animal. However you are the only human horcrux I have ever seen. I would even go as far to say that it was an unintended horcrux. It is centred around your scar young one."

Harry's eyes went wide with shock, which was quickly followed by repulsion. "Voldemort..." he said in a strangled whisper. "I've got some of Voldemort's soul in my head." He started to shake, he had some of that murderer's soul inside him, he was tainted, evil. Uncle Vernon had been right, he was a freak, he was evil.

It had to be Voldemort's, his scar burned when he was near and there was the visions and connection he seemed to have with Voldemort. It all made sense now, he had these visions, his scar hurt because it was part of Voldemort, he contained part of the worst Dark Lord in history. He was keeping Voldemort alive, he would have to die in order for Voldemort to be destroyed.

That realisation came crashing down on him. He would have to die but he didn't want to, he wasn't ready. He couldn't give up now, not when he finally had a parent, not to mention he would break his promise to Sirius. He was suddenly very grateful Sirius was holding him so tightly, without the support he was certain he would have fallen and it allowed him to bury his face in his godfather's robes, hiding from the rest of the world as he clung to Sirius, the one person who had promised that they would not judge him.

"I don't want to die," The whisper was quiet, broken, little more than a whimper. Instantly Sirius's arms tightened, pulling him close.

"You are not going to die," his godfather said fiercely, "I promise you Harry that we will find a way to get rid of it without killing you. It is going to be fine and do not think for one second that I love you any less because of this." The passion in Sirius's voice was unmistakable and for a moment Harry believed him, believed that he would be able to get through this without dying but all too soon that hope faded. He contained part of Voldemort, he was evil so he would have to die, no matter what Sirius did. He kept his face hidden. He couldn't look up and see the belief and hope in his godfather's expression, it would only hurt more because he knew he would have to die.

Sirius was speaking quietly to the goblin elder and Harry allowed his attention to wander, they were speaking in gobbledygook anyway and it was difficult to translate, not to mention he didn't want to hear any more false hope. It would just make it harder when he had to die, and that would be hard enough already. If he had known before he met Sirius he would have been able to die happily but now he had a family and he didn't want to lose it or hurt Sirius in any way and he knew his death would hurt the animagus.

"You have a what!?" His godfather's exclamation jerked him out his thoughts and he looked up in confusion only to see the hope blazing brightly in Sirius's eyes. He immediately averted his gaze, however the elder's reply caused his head to snap up in shock.

"We have a ritual which we can use to extract the horcrux."

Harry just looked at the goblin, his eyes wide. Surely he hadn't heard correctly, surely he hadn't just said the goblins could remove the horcrux without killing him. However Sirius's sharp exhalation of breath and the relief he felt pouring off the older man suggested he had heard correctly, however he had to check, he had to make sure. He had been sure he was going to have to die and here were the goblins removing that possibility completely. "You can take the horcrux away without killing me?" He asked, his voice quiet, trying desperately not to hope.

The goblin nodded, "We have a ritual, it has been seldom used on a living creature but it will be able to extract the horcrux which we can then destroy safely. However I must warn you, I am told the process is incredibly painful and we will not be able to stop once we have started, not to mention you will be conscious throughout. The goblin nation is prepared to offer this ritual to you for free, horcruxes are abominations and we take any opportunity to destroy them, add in the fact some bastard had made a child into one, we are more than prepared to do the ritual. If you wish to undergo one we can start in an hour." The goblin stepped back, allowing them time to discuss their options.

Harry couldn't believe it. They would be able to remove the horcrux without him dying and they could do it before he left the bank today. He wouldn't have to carry the monster's soul in his head anymore. Any amount of pain was a fair trade for removing the soul fragment and escaping with his life and he had endured a lot of pain in his life. The ritual couldn't be any more painful than being bitten by a basilisk.

Sirius looked down at Harry, the hope shining in his eyes although he schooled his face into a determinedly neutral cast. He desperately wanted to get rid of the horcrux and the goblins had just provided the perfect solution, however it had to be Harry's decision. The horcrux was in his head and he was the one who would have to undergo the pain of the ritual. If he declined he would do his damndest to try and get Harry to agree, although he had spoken of a solution he knew it would be very difficult to find one and when a perfect solution had been presented to them they would be fools not to take it. He opened his mouth to ask Harry for his opinion but Harry beat him to it,

"I want to undergo the ritual." Harry's voice was firm.

Sirius felt relief rush through him. Harry had agreed and they would be able to get that awful thing out of his godson as soon as possible. "You're sure?" The protest was half-hearted at best, he wanted Harry to do the ritual desperately but he had to make sure.

A single decisive nod answered his question, then Harry flashed a smile, a weak one but still a smile in his direction. He had evidently noticed Sirius's happiness with this turn of events. He smiled warmly in response then spoke, "Elder goblin, we would like to accept your generous offer and my ward would like to undergo the ritual." The formal phrases fell easily from his lips and the goblin nodded in response.

"I will send for the healers and curse breakers and Sharpclaw will accompany you to the ritual room. We will begin in an hour." The goblin elder bowed once, and both Sirius and Harry bowed deeply in reply before the goblin left the court room, leaving them with Sharpclaw.

"Follow me please, Lord Black." The goblin paused and looked at his friend, "I am sorry that you and Mr Potter have to endure so much Sirius. It seems that it is just one thing after another." Sirius laughed mirthlessly,

"Fate has an unhealthy obsession with us." He commented darkly as they made their way out of the courtroom and down into the maze of tunnels that was Gringotts. Sirius kept his arm firmly wrapped against his godson's shoulder and Harry made no move to get away, instead he walked as close to his godfather as possible, still reeling from the revelations that had been thrust upon him in the last few minutes and taking comfort from his godfather's presence. They were travelling deeper and deeper into the maze of tunnels and it quickly began obvious that very few humans had ever been down here. The tunnel roofs became lower and lower and they both found themselves having to duck in places, although more for Sirius than Harry.

As they walked Sirius started to quiz Sharpclaw on the ritual that Harry was going to undergo. "As you know, we prize our treasures however they are often used to be vessels and the ritual was developed so we were able to save them and prevent the destruction of the object by removing the soul piece. As such the ritual does not require participation; all Mr Potter will have to do is lie down in the runes."

"How often has it been used on a live person?" The anxiety was clear in Sirius's voice. Although he was pleased that there was this option and he had seized it with both hands didn't mean that he wasn't worried for his pup, on the contrary he was extremely anxious, particularly as the elder had mentioned that it would be extremely painful and the knowledge the ritual had been developed for objects. Sharpclaw paused before answering,

"It is used infrequently on a goblin. Sometimes during the extraction the soul piece has latched onto one of the healers or curse breakers and made them into a horcrux. The ritual has then been used to remove the piece although all who have undergone it have reported intense pain and have been conscious throughout the process. Several have likened it to a form of torture." Sirius let out his breath in a hiss at the last sentence and automatically tightened his grip on Harry's shoulders. He wanted the despicable thing gone but hearing that his precious godson would have to undergo a form of torture to get rid of it brought all his protective instincts to the fore and kindled a burning rage in his heart.

"Is there any way the pain can be transferred to another individual?" He asked bluntly, if there was a way to prevent Harry from feeling the pain he would take it gladly.

Harry glanced up, shock written all over his face, "Sirius..." he began but Sirius looked down at him, cutting off his protests.

"Hush Harry," he said softly, but still firmly. Then he turned to Sharpclaw, "Well?"

The goblin sighed, seeing the protectiveness and pain in his friend's features, "There is no way to accomplish that Sirius. The pain is caused by the removal of the foreign soul and there is nothing we can do that will transfer the pain in any way. I'm afraid Mr Potter will have to endure it alone. However you will be able to be in the ritual room, although you will have to stay outside the runes." Sirius nodded resignedly. He hadn't really expected it to be possible but he had to check. If there had been any chance it could work he would have seized it happily, anything that would prevent Harry from feeling the pain, even if it was at his own cost would be welcomed.

A small entrance way, the whole surface around it and the door inscribed with thousands upon thousands of runes, met them on their left and Sharpclaw slowed before opening the door carefully and ushering them inside.

It was a small chamber with curved walls reaching upwards to form a dome, the four corners forming pillars of stone that arced over the ceiling like ribs. The floor was covered in large smooth marble flagstones which a team of half a dozen goblins were inscribing with runes in preparation for the ritual. A single stone bench ran the length of one curved wall and Sharpclaw gestured that they should take a seat while they were waiting for the ritual to be prepared.

They had about half an hour before the ritual would begin so Sirius sat down on the bench, being careful to stay out of the goblins way and gently encouraged Harry to join him. Harry sat, leaning against his godfather's side, his emotions in turmoil. He had been faced with the revelation he contained part of Voldemort's soul and then he had thought he would have to die only to be given a way out, albeit one that was painful and he was now sitting, waiting for them to begin. It had been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least, and combined with the fact it had occurred just after the trial it had left him an emotional mess.

Sirius kept his arm around him, offering him silent support as he nestled in against his godfather's side. He had been extremely shocked when Sirius had asked Sharpclaw about taking the pain Harry would undergo and suffering through it himself in Harry's place. He knew Sirius loved him but for his godfather to even ask showed a depth of love he didn't think existed. He had personally experienced some awful pain growing up and he could not comprehend anyone taking that pain willing, taking a form of torture willingly, for somebody else. He was more than a little awed by the fact Sirius had intended to do that for him, for somebody who hadn't experienced any form of parental love before the summer it was astounding. He wouldn't have even considered it as a possibility, he would have been and was completely content with Sirius staying with him throughout the ritual. That in itself was a level of caring far beyond what he had ever experienced at the Dursleys.

Time slipped by and soon it was time for the ritual to start. Sirius helped Harry out of the heavy formal robes so he was only wearing the plain T-shirt and trousers he had had on underneath, high magic rituals often had a negative effect on clothing, not to mention the heavy cloth robes would not be nice items to be wearing when the pain started. He hugged Harry hard, "I'll stay with you pup," he murmured before he released Harry, letting the goblins lead Harry down into the seven interlocking runic circles.

The rune circles were laid out in a flower like pattern with a single large circle in the centre with the other six, smaller circles interlocking and radiating out like petals. In each of these smaller circles a single goblin stood, three were healers and three were curse breakers. Harry lay in the central circle, his head containing the lightning scar and horcrux directly underneath the curse breaker leading the ritual. The ritual itself was used to transfer the horcrux from one vessel to another. The horcrux would be withdrawn from the first vessel through the ritual and magic and then bound to a lesser object which could then be destroyed. In this case it was a small metal fragment, left over from the forging of a goblin sword.

A low chant started up, little more than a murmur as each goblin started to chant the incantations. The runes started to glow and then pulse as the rush of magic filled them. Magic grew thick in the air, so thick that Harry could almost taste it and he could feel it coming across his skin in sharp rushes, tingling, dancing across his body, exploring, searching for the horcrux.

Then the feeling of the magic changed. It stopped seeking and it started to pull, tugging at him. Harry felt a prickle of pain flash across his scar. Then another and another and another, getting stronger and stronger each time. Prickles turned into stabs and he tried not to gasp, he didn't want to reveal to Sirius the pain he was in, it would just make his godfather feel worse. As it was he could clearly feel the concern emanating from his godfather as man watched the ritual, his eyes never leaving Harry.

The pain ebbed away slightly then the volume of the chanting rose and changed, taking on a different quality. They were no longer seeking the horcrux, they had found it and they had assessed how strongly it was bound, now they had to extract it.

The pain had ebbed away but now it returned with a vengeance. Harry bit his lip hard to stop him crying out. It felt as if a thousand knives had all stabbed down on his forehead simultaneously, each knife point burning hot, searing his skin and burning at his head. The agony coursed through him, taking his breath away. He tasted blood in his mouth. The pain continued to grow, pulsing with the beat of the chants until all he could feel was pain, it flowed through him, twisting and turning with a life of its own.

A voice broke through the chanting, although the ritual still continued another voice could be heard, urging Harry to hold on, promising it would be alright, it would all be over soon. Gritting his teeth Harry turned his head a fraction, trying to ignore the pain that flared up stronger the moment he moved, his eyes searching for the figure of his godfather.

Everything was blurry without his glasses but he would recognise his godfather no matter how bad his vision was. Although he couldn't make out the details in Sirius's expression, Harry latched onto the figure and the voice, holding onto the fact that he was not alone. Reminding himself that there was more here than just pain, just the chanting that never seemed to end, that he had some support, there was a promise that it would end eventually. Focussing on Sirius he was able to push some of the pain away, not much, agony still pulsed through him, flaring down every limb, but he could push it away enough to keep a portion of his mind free from its influence.

Then suddenly the chanting rose to a scream. Pain surged through him and his back arched, pulling him away from the ground, his limbs thrashing. White hot, the pain seared through his veins and he couldn't keep his scream locked away. Pure, undiluted agony echoed in his voice as he slumped back to the floor and his scar burst open, crimson blood flowing down his forehead, into his eyes, hot blood blinding him.

Blinded, alone and agony coursing through him, Harry could only think of the pain, praying and wishing it would end, would be over and failing that, that he could slip into blessed unconsciousness. But that option was not open to him, he knew that there would be no reprieve until the end, he would have to endure it until then. Visions from the chamber assaulted him on all sides. Lying alone, the colours dissolving into darkness and the voice, the voice of Tom Riddle, rejoicing in his victory. He could hear it, hear it almost as clearly as he could when he lay in the chamber.

"Harry Potter," the sibilant voice hissed, "Lying alone, forsaken by his godfather, being defeated by the Dark Lord he could never challenge."

Through the haze of pain Harry frowned slightly, that wasn't what he remembered, that wasn't what Riddle had said. Something was different, something was wrong. As the voice continued he felt fear rush through him, followed by defiance, despite the pain. This wasn't the diary speaking, this wasn't that version of Riddle, it was the soul piece in his own head, the piece of Voldemort that he wanted gone! He had defeated Voldemort three times before and he would do it again. He was NOT going to let the horcrux win.

As if in response to that decision the pain levels rocketed and a shriek, laced with pure torture rattled through him, echoing off the stone ribs of the ceiling. A chilling laugh resonated throughout his mind. "You can never beat me Harry Potter, I control the pain you feel. You will never be rid of me. You are mine unless you join with me."

Harry's body was thrashing uncontrollably. His eyelids were sealed shut by congealing blood and his muscles contracted and released in response to the pain but the real battle was occurring in his mind.

"No!" He screamed, unaware that he was actually screaming, instead of just in his mind, "I'll never join you. You killed my parents!" As he finished his body contorted, Voldemort unleashing another barrage of pain, on top of the existing agony, showing his displeasure with the answer. For several moments he was only aware of the pain, then he slumped back to the floor, the pain ebbing slightly, allowing him to think.

"That is just a small taste, I will continue until you agree to join with me. You could have power beyond imagining if only you joined me." The voice hissed, pleasure flowing through it as Voldemort spoke of pain.

"Never," Harry gasped out. Pain hit once more, surging through him, every inch of skin burning under the onslaught. It lasted for longer than the first batch but then it was over, the pain was reduced and his body crashed to the floor, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Voldemort chided, his voice pretending to be reasonable; the air of menace surround him somehow worse for it, "Surely you don't want that to happen again. You have suffered at the hands of worthless muggles, join me and you can get revenge on your relatives, you will find your real family within the ranks of my Death Eaters and you will be exalted because you carry my soul."

Fury rose up in Harry, not from the offer of joining to Death Eaters or the idea he was exalted because he was a horcrux, he had heard that before, but instead it was the casual dismissal of his godfather and friends, the implication that he didn't have a real family. That would have been true a few months ago but not anymore, he had Sirius, he had a father, a real family and he would never, ever trade the love he was given by his godfather for the twisted servitude to a madman.

Voldemort was getting impatient. A sharp jolt of pain flashed through him, only to fade a few seconds later. Harry pulled his thoughts together, pushing the pain as far away as he was able to. Instead of giving Voldemort a verbal answer he created a ball made up of memories from the last month and a half, the times he had felt protected, loved, his realisation he had a family, a father, everything Sirius had ever done for him and Harry rammed it straight at Voldemort.

The horcrux flinched as if struck, releasing its hold on Harry only fractionally but that was all the goblins needed. The spell swelled to a crescendo and with an unearthly shriek the horcrux was pulled from Harry's scar, a shapeless cloud of black mist snarling as it was separated from its host and began to be inexorably drawn towards the new vessel.

Harry lay on the stone flagstones, completely spent, the sharp tang of blood thick in the air. His limbs felt heavy, dragging him down. Pain still coursed through him, every nerve screaming, although it was dulling slowly now his part in the ritual was over. His head throbbed with the pulses of magic and the pain flared with every beat of his pulse, and a thin trickle of blood slipped down his face, continuing to leave shinning tracks on his pale skin. He couldn't sleep, he was forced to stay conscious by the magic of the ritual but his mind retreated, letting sensation, pain and magic wash over him as he waited for it to end.

* * *

Cool water splashed onto his face and Harry pulled his mind out of its detached state, noting almost casually that the rush of magic and the chanting had stopped. Pain pushed itself back into his consciousness and he hissed as all the residual aches, pain and bruising all flared simultaneously. A slight faltering in the wash of water across his face was the only indication that anyone had heard him but it was so slight he wasn't really sure it had happened.

Someone was gently sponging his eyelids, removing the crusted blood and the first chinks of light started to penetrate the darkness that had surrounded him for the majority of the ritual. One eye was free, and slowly he opened it, seeing the blurry figure of his godfather just in front of him. "Sir-ius?" he rasped out, the movement sending a flash of pain up his throat.

"Yes pup, I'm here," Sirius murmured, finally freeing Harry's second eye. Harry moved his head slightly to allow his godfather to slide his glasses on and immediately regretted it as pain lanced through his forehead. Unprepared he couldn't stop himself from letting out a whimper. "Harry?" Sirius asked, concern obvious in his voice.

"Hurts," he moaned, trying not to move and spark a fresh wave of pain.

Sirius could see the complete and utter fatigue in his godson and noting the way Harry gritted his teeth or made a noise every time he did any sort of movement, no matter how small, he realised there was no chance his godson would be able to walk back through Gringotts. Add in the fact Harry had actually admitted he was hurting, even in the month his godson had been with him, Sirius had learnt that Harry normally downplayed any pain or injury and for him to admit it indicated he was in a lot of pain. All this flashed through his mind in a few seconds and his decision was an easy one.

Harry felt strong arms slip under him and gently lift him up, holding him securely. Pain flared at the movement but soon he was settled as comfortably as possible, his head resting against Sirius's shoulder and the pain subsided to a throbbing ache throughout his body, although it was more concentrated at his head. Harry felt his godfather start to walk but Sirius was being careful, trying not to jostle him and for the most part he was succeeding.

Harry knew he would have been embarrassed if he hadn't been able to feel the fatigue in every single bone, if he hadn't just faced the horcrux and the whisperings of Tom Riddle but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to care. He was precisely where he wanted to be, safe in his godfather's arms. The ritual was over and he was finally able to give into the darkness that the magic had staved off. The last things he was aware of before the blackness claimed him were his godfather's arms holding him securely as Sirius carried him through the halls of Gringotts.

* * *

Sirius felt Harry go limp in his grip and he knew that his godson had slipped into much sought unconsciousness and relief from the pain. Seeing his godson thrashing on the floor, his face covered in blood and hearing the screams that had been filled with an agony so intense he could scarcely comprehend it had quickly become one of his worst memories. And the worst part was knowing that he was helpless to intervene and he had to watch Harry get hurt and he could protect Harry from it in any way. All he had been able to do was provide verbal encouragement and stay in Harry's sight, and when Harry's own blood blocked his vision that small option had been taken away.

He knew that the ritual had been completely necessary and the only other option was infinitely worse but that knowledge didn't sooth the hurt in his heart caused by watching his pup being tortured in front of him. It had been one more thing he hadn't been able to save Harry from. It was only the presence of Harry, safe in his arms, which soothed his worry somewhat and persuaded him that he was able to look after and protect his godson even though Harry had endured so much, too much.

Then he was back in Sharpclaw's office and he was given the portkey that would take them back to Black Island, placing Harry's hand onto the paperweight, they were pulled away, spinning into the ether and back home.

Once they were home, Sirius headed up to Harry's room and gently tucked Harry into bed, smoothing his fringe, hiding the lightning scar which stood out, fresh and livid against his forehead and carding his fingers through his pup's hair. Harry stirred slightly, leaning into the touch before his breathing evened out, unconsciousness giving way into sleep. Sirius sank down into the nearby armchair, still watching his godson, his mind racing despite the tiredness in his limbs.

The day had been one shock and revelation after another. The trial that had started in the morning and the things he had discovered about the abuse Harry had been subjected to at the Dursleys had shocked him to the core but although the emotions had thundered through him, he had been forced to be strong, for Harry. He had seen clearly the effect the whole process had on Harry and he had realised for the first time, just how much Harry relied on him. Then after the trial finished in the early afternoon there had been the revelation concerning the horcrux and the trauma of the ritual which lasted into the early evening but out of everything that had happened in the day what had shocked him the most were the words of the elder goblin. He had told Harry that his father could join him.

That statement had thrown him; he had been looking for James for a few moments. And it hadn't been until Harry had looked back at him, inviting him forward that he had realised that the goblin had been referring to him. He had joined Harry of course, he couldn't deny his godson whenever he wanted reassurance and he had supported him but it had only been the revelation that Harry was a horcrux that had pushed the musings to the back of his mind and now that was out the way all those thoughts came back to the fore.

He had been called Harry's father, not his birth father true, but still he had been referred to as Harry's father and the glance Harry had sent at him showed him clearly that Harry regarded him as a father figure. And that unnerved him, more than just a little. He loved Harry like he was his own, occasionally even thinking of him as his own child and was determined to protect Harry and do everything in his power to care for him but despite that, it had been completely shocking to be thought of as Harry's father. He had never pictured himself as a father and for him nobody could ever take James's place. James was Harry's father and he couldn't picture anyone else, particularly himself taking that spot. Although it appeared, that for Harry, he had already taken that place.

And if he was honest with himself, he could understand why. For Harry, James wasn't even a memory; all he had of his father were pictures, stories, and his final words. Sirius could tell his godson how much his parents had loved him until he was blue in the face but it was never going to change the fact Harry had not known it for himself. The Dursleys had never shown any sort of parental love to the boy and Sirius knew that he was the only person that had ever loved Harry like a parent would in his godson's memory. Why then should it be any surprise that Harry now viewed him as a parent?

It wasn't really, although for Sirius it was more than bittersweet. It was wonderful that Harry loved him so much and he had helped Harry to heal so that Harry was able to understand and experience a parents love but the fact that he was usurping the place that he still thought of as James's hurt. But at the same time he knew there was nothing he could do to change that without hurting Harry and that was something he could not do. He could only be the best father he could be for Harry, and honour James and Lily's memory, ensuring Harry knew of the father and mother he had lost.

Harry stirred, eyes fluttering open, confusion shinning through the veil of sleep as his gaze fell onto his godfather. "Sirius?" he questioned, voice thick with sleep. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Sirius crossed the room, coming to Harry's bedside. One hand reached out and started stroking through Harry's hair. "What is it pup?" he asked quietly.

"Why're y'here?" His voice was slurred, and his eyes were beginning to close again as Sirius replied,

"I needed to know you were alright."

"M'fine," Harry murmured as he slipped back into sleep. Sirius smiled tenderly down at his sleeping godson, then gently kissed the scarred forehead. "Sleep well pup," he whispered as he left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy stared at the letter in front of him in disgust and unbridled rage, Lord Black notifying him of a will change. That in itself was not remarkable, such letters were sent out to many of the pureblood families annually, it was standard procedure to notify a recipient if you changed the will, particularly in regards to heirs of the family's but it was this particular letter which had got his hackles up.

He had presumed Draco would inherit the Black Lordship, what with Sirius having no children and Andromeda cast out of the Black family but the way the letter was written suggested fairly strongly that there was another heir, cutting the Malfoys completely out of the House of Black's rather remarkable fortune and influence. It wasn't stated outright of course, such things seldom were but the implications were obvious to the Malfoy Lord. There was another Heir to House Black and Lucius had no clue who they were, not to mention the damned blood traitor had to bring up the issue of that confounded debt again. He glared at the offending piece of parchment, reading the message once again.

_Head of House Malfoy, _

_As a House married to one of the daughters of our house, House Black wishes to notify you of a change to the will of their current Lord, Sirius Orion Black._

That particular sentence was standard, it was common practice and courtesy to send out such letter, particularly in these circumstances, however it was the rest of the letter that was different, it changed tone, became much more personal, much more vindictive. He was reminded very strongly that blood traitor he might have been, Sirius was still a Black and the Blacks were renowned for their ruthlessness.

_It must be noted that threats to my house are not good policy if you desire to remain in good health and neither do murderers inherit from the person they wronged. I would advise that you consider your actions carefully Lucius, particularly when the claim of your House to mine is slight now I have taken the mantle._

_Your actions at the world cup were ill advised, a pureblood stooping to the level of a common criminal, and have forced me to take action. For future reference, it is unwise to threaten the person who has the potential to cripple your house financially, for they may just retaliate. Considering your actions, I have decided to make my death costly to House Malfoy and particularly to you Lucius. I have changed my will so that any remaining debt will be called in upon my death, followed by the dissolution of your marriage and the reclaiming of the dowry if you are implicated in any way with the death, making your son a bastard._

_To ensure your good behaviour until that occurrence, I intend to call in the debt whenever news reaches my ears that you are working against the House of Black, and that includes politically. You, my friend have no options but to follow my line, lest I destroy House Malfoy, financially, politically and through its heirs._

_Lord Sirius Black_

_Head of House Black_

The blood traitor had him over a barrel. There was no way he could retaliate, he couldn't even arrange for Sirius to suffer an unfortunate accident of the likes which had claimed many a political rival for his death would have far reaching consequences. Black had managed to make himself untouchable and that was a difficult thing to achieve in the current political climate. That single letter destroyed all the political influence he had managed to garner over the previous decade, until he could build up his finances so he would be secure when the debt was called in, he would have to follow Black in the Wizengamot and in any issue.

He grabbed a glass of firewhisky. He needed to plan, find a way out but he had the uncomfortable feeling that Black had out Slytherined him, the Gryffindor traitor of the Black family proving he had more of his family in him than he let on.

* * *

Hello all, thank you for all the reviews, perhaps they will surpass 300 soon (hint, hint) and hope you enjoy this chapter (my longest to date). Oh and please review!


	21. On the train to Hogwarts

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 20 – On the train to Hogwarts **

The last week of the summer holiday went by quickly, Harry had recovered from the ritual by the next morning and they had filled the following mornings with training. To both Harry and Sirius's great surprise they had discovered all his spells had received a power boost, it wasn't massive but it had resulted in several over powered spells in his duelling practice and he had managed to transform his hand for the first time in his animagus training.

But the main difference was in his mind, all his occulmency barriers were stronger and he found it a bit easier to remember spells and theory. He was nowhere close to rivalling Hermione in the theory front, he might manage all E's and above with quite a bit of effort on his part but he had made massive improvements on the practical side, the extra magical power from removing the block around his core and the leech of the horcrux, combined with a sharper mind meant that Hermione would have a bit of trouble keeping her top spot in practical exams and classes.

Soon his trunk was packed and the last day of the summer holidays arrived. It had been the best summer of his life and the first time he hadn't been longing to return to Hogwarts, a fact that Sirius was completely responsible for and Harry couldn't have been happier, he owed so much to his godfather. Tomorrow he would be heading back to Hogwarts, the first place he had ever called home and Sirius would be there in the castle with him.

That thought filled him with both happiness and a bit of trepidation. His Hogwarts years hadn't exactly been the most trouble free, in fact he had managed to get into dangerous situations with alarming regularity and he didn't want to think of Sirius's reaction if he ended up in the hospital wing because of some danger or another, although at the same time it felt wonderful to know that somebody cared if he got hurt, the Dursleys certainly hadn't. But the fact his godfather would also be at Hogwarts made him feel a lot more secure, it meant he would have somebody he could go to with any problem, who understood him, who loved him. He knew that he would have had trouble going back if Sirius hadn't been going too, he hadn't wanted to leave the first parent he could remember, particularly as he had only been there for just over a month. He would have worried that by next summer Sirius would have become bored with him and moved on, but with his godfather with him, he didn't have that worry.

Sirius's hand came down gently on his shoulder, dragging his attention back to the present, "Bed Harry," his godfather said firmly. Sighing Harry put down the photo album he had been flicking through and clambered to his feet. As he headed for the door he spotted the sheaf of paper hanging in his godfather's hand and the slightly disgruntled expression Sirius wore. "Still working on the lesson plans?" he asked and the animagus sighed.

"They're virtually done, it's just reviewing them now. I don't understand how Moony managed it alone, I'd be lost without his help." Harry laughed, Remus had been helping Sirius with his lesson plans for nearly two weeks now and he still thought that all Sirius had done was copy the basics of Remus's course and spiced it up a little, adding dodging and duelling practice for all years for example.

"I still can't quite believe I took the job, I'm a Marauder and becoming a professor, I'll have to give out detentions and set exams," Sirius's voice showed his amusement with the whole idea, "And I doubt I'm that good a teacher anyway."

"You can't be worse than Quirrel or Lockhart," Harry pointed out, "They were awful, I hardly learnt anything in DADA until Moony taught us last year. Plus you've been good when you've taught me this summer and as a Marauder I'm sure you'll make lessons fun." He grinned as he remembered Remus's first lesson, the sight of Professor Snape in a dress was always going to be one of his funnier memories. "Remus's practical lessons were particularly interesting, especially the ones with boggarts," he continued. Sirius grinned as well; he had heard the story of the boggart and had found it hilarious.

"There are some definite advantages to the job though," Sirius continued, but then he turned serious and his face softened. "The first one being that I get to stay near you for the whole year and I will be there if you need me and can protect you." Harry smiled and then walked over and hugged his godfather. He was well aware that was the main reason Sirius had taken the job and he was extremely thankful that the animagus had done so. There was a short pause then Sirius returned the hug, Harry still didn't initiate much contact so it was a little surprising when he actually did. "What's this for pup?" he asked softly.

"For being a professor and staying with me," came the murmured response. Sirius smiled tenderly down at the boy he was embracing.

"I'm glad you want me to come to Hogwarts, I was fairly worried about it until you told me you liked the idea, most teenagers would have been horrified by the prospect."

"Most teenagers don't have a scar on their forehead and a target on their back, or relatives like mine," Harry interrupted bitterly. In response Sirius tightened his grip,

"No pup, being the Boy-Who-Lived or any other nonsense the Wizarding World comes up with doesn't matter to me and neither does your past, it isn't what is important. What is important is the fact you are my godson and the fact that I love you. You are not 'most teenagers' and I love you for being who you are. And I know that you have been denied love for most of your life and this is the first time you can remember being loved, but I promise you that it will continue at Hogwarts. I believe there is an extra bedroom in my chambers, to be used whenever necessary, and my door will always be open to you no matter what time it is. Now off to bed with you,"

The last remark earned a chuckle from Harry, and Sirius ruffled his hair before releasing him although Harry didn't let go, "Thanks Sirius," he murmured from his position resting against his godfather's chest. The animagus hugged him once more, and then he pressed a kiss into his godson's messy hair before releasing him and giving Harry a light push in the direction of the stairs. "Bed Harry," he said, smiling softly although a light of mischief entered his eyes, "And let me finish my lesson plans in peace without you young rascal hanging about."

Harry paused in the doorway and turned back towards his godfather, the slight apprehension and worry in his gaze melting away as he saw that the animagus was teasing him, "'Night Sirius,"

"Goodnight pup," his godfather's voice was gentle and floated up the stairs behind him as Harry headed to bed for his last night on Black Island for several months.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was frowning as he looked over the papers for the coming year. He had been pleased earlier in the summer when Black had accepted his offer of the Defence position, not only had it brought the man and by extension Harry back under his direct influence, it also ensured that the students would get a competent professor this year. Sirius's teaching methods were likely to be unorthodox and he could not picture the man handing out many essays but he definitely had the practical qualifications, a decorated auror with experience fighting death eaters and with a war looming on the horizon, practical defence skills would be invaluable. It was with that thought in mind he had approved Sirius's request to start a duelling club with Professor Flitwick.

No, that had all gone according to plan, in fact it was already reaping rewards, and so was getting Alastor involved in the Tournament as security, all he had done was mention Karkarof's name and the old auror had been jumping at the bit to be involved. If there was anything he loathed it was a Death Eater who had escaped or evaded justice in any way. He was aware it was a deep ambition of the man to see every Death Eater behind bars, permanently, well that and getting an entire generation to adopt Constant Vigilance as their motto. But he was digressing, the issue that was really troubling him was the tournament.

A brainchild of Fudge's, to try and increase his political clout with the people before the next Ministerial Elections it had been nothing but hassle and work ever since it had been approved. The minister really was an idiot if he thought a tournament with such high fatality rates would ever raise his standing, but it was nearly here and he was resigned to it by now.

Harry would be able to have a year off from his training, for that was how he perceived the Philosopher Stone and Chamber incidents, and to a certain extent, Black's escape, although the Chamber had interfered with his plans for Harry it had certainly proved to be advantageous in the end, proving that the boy was certainly capable of fulfilling his destiny and it had also confirmed his suspicions about horcruxes. The damage to the student population had been unfortunate but nobody was seriously hurt so he could easily place it in the greater good category.

It would have been nice to test Harry in the tournament however he knew the tasks were highly dangerous and he did not want to risk the boy dying before he could defeat Voldemort, that scenario would be disastrous. No, the age line would keep Harry safe and the boy could be afforded one rest, to be frank it was nothing to do with affording Harry anything, he simply wouldn't have time to test the boy with the tournament hanging over him and being forced to play host to the other schools. Harry would just have a year off and his training could resume the following year.

Tomorrow evening the students would return and he would just have to wait and manipulate, although it was quite vexing that so much of his attention would be given to that blasted Tournament!

* * *

Together godfather and godson approached the barrier leading to Platform 9¾, Sirius wasn't going to be taking the train, he would floo to the castle once he had seen his godson off but he had wanted to see Harry off properly, despite the fact that he would see his godson at Hogwarts. Harry hadn't minded. He had never had anyone see him off to Hogwarts before, well he had gone with the Weasleys onto the platform once but that didn't count, they hadn't been his family and he hadn't been one of their children. But Sirius was different, Sirius was his family, his godfather, his parent, his father and he was Sirius's son in all but blood. That thought sent a pulse of warmth through him, he was finally learning what it felt like to be loved and getting to experience all the things normal children did.

His godfather helped him to lift his trunk onto the train and once that was done Harry half turned as Sirius wrapped him in a fierce embrace. "I know I'm going to see you this evening," his godfather murmured against his hair, "But I'm not about to let you get on that train without a proper goodbye." Harry just smiled as he returned the embrace with one just as fierce. Nearly everyone his age would be mortified at such an action on the part of their guardian, especially Ron but Harry didn't care, he could deal with any teasing, it mattered far more that he had Sirius.

The sharp tones of a bell alerted the wizards milling around on the platform that the train would leave in one minute. Somewhat reluctantly Sirius released him, "The password to my quarters is Prongs and Lily-flower," he said softly before brushing a kiss into his godson's messy hair.

"I'll come by often," Harry promised and his godfather merely smiled gently at him. Harry started to get onto the train but then an impulse made him turn and he almost flung himself into Sirius's arms. His godfather returned the hug for a brief moment before he pushed Harry lightly in the direction of the train, "You don't want to miss it," he said as he saw his godson hesitate slightly. Harry smiled up at him before clambering on, just in time as with a great groan the train started to move, pulling slowly out of the station. Sirius saw his godson call something but the words were swallowed in the rush of wind and the noise engulfing the platform so he just mouthed, "Love you," and raised his hand in farewell, even though it was a short one.

* * *

Harry continued to watch until the Platform and Sirius were completely out of sight. There was a slight hollowness inside him and he couldn't quite understand why. It wasn't as if he was leaving his godfather for very long, he would see him in a few hours at the opening feast but nonetheless an emptiness gnawed at his insides. Mentally he knew the separation would not be for very long but that didn't stop the ache inside him or prevent a small quiet voice in the back of his brain whispering what if he never saw Sirius again, what if his godfather abandoned him?

Ron and Hermione found him there, still staring out of the window, almost as if he was willing the platform to appear once more. "There you are mate," Ron exclaimed, "We were looking everywhere for you," he jerked a thumb in the direction of Hermione, "She was fretting, she thought you'd missed the train."

A smile flickered onto Harry's face, "I almost did," he told them, "I didn't want to say goodbye."

Understanding dawned in Hermione's face but Ron wore a puzzled look on his face, "But you didn't need to," he pointed out, "You'll see him again as soon as we get to Hogwarts."

"Tact Ron," Hermione hissed as Harry's expression became a little more reflective and pensive,

"I know it's silly but..."

"It's the first home you've had and Sirius is the only parent you can remember and you're scared of losing that." Hermione finished for him. He saw Ron's eyes widen as realisation struck home and he awkwardly patted Harry's back, "It'll be fine mate, we all have that trouble when we first go to Hogwarts, yours has just been delayed."

That said they both settled down and started up a light conversation talking about the various classes and the strange hints they had been picking up about something happening at Hogwarts this year, "It's getting annoying, Percy is being so damn superior all the time." That was from Ron,

"You mean he isn't regardless?" They burst out laughing, even Hermione who had to admit, as much as she believed rules should be followed except in emergencies such as the open Chamber of Secrets, that Percy was far to pompous when it came to rules. Yes you need to get your homework done and in on time and you really shouldn't cheek a teacher and break curfew but you didn't need to do everything with a smug attitude and follow the miniscule rules such as having to sign your homework in green ink.

Eventually their laughter subsided, then Harry couldn't help but adding, "As long as I'm not involved for once, I'll be happy!" Their laughter started up once more, even though this time it contained a rueful quality, both Ron and Hermione had a very good idea of the trouble Harry was able to get into as they had been there with him for most of his adventures and implicated in them more often than not. They were only just regaining their composure when Susan Bones entered their compartment accompanied by Hannah Abbot, followed soon after by Neville. She quirked an eyebrow at the sight of the three Gryffindors struggling with hysterics. "Do we really want to know?"

That comment of course delayed their recovery yet again, and as they gasped out the story of the previous conversation, Neville joined in the laughter and after a few moments the Hufflepuff's did to. Harry adventures or misadventures as they were perhaps more accurately called, were the stuff of legend in Hogwarts. Therefore it was a few minutes before the two Hufflepuffs and one Gryffindor were seated and a meaningful conversation had been started. "I do hope we have a decent teacher this year," Susan said, "Professor Lupin was very good and if we have someone who is half as good I will be happy."

Harry couldn't help but grin as everyone else agreed. Whilst Ron and Hermione knew Sirius was going to be at Hogwarts this year, he hadn't actually told them that Sirius was going to be teaching, instead leading them to believe he was there as security.

"I think you'll like DADA this year," he said, getting their attention immediately, although Hermione's eyes narrowed "I believe that we are going to be taught duelling and other fun stuff."

Hermione's eyes narrowed further as she considered that statement, "It's Sirius isn't it?" she asked, a trace of accusation in her voice. Harry merely whistled, trying and failing to look innocent, an act which was completely ruined by Hannah's exclamation, "_Sirius Black?!" _Harry nodded, a wariness creeping into his expression, what would people at Hogwarts make of the fact Sirius was his guardian? He could remember clearly what had happened when the school had believed he was the heir of Slytherin - the fact he was now was immaterial - and he definitely didn't want to be shunned by the vast majority of the population, and he could remember the scene and the accusations Sirius had faced in Diagon Alley very clearly.

He looked carefully at Hannah and Susan but the shock was not giving way into disgust thankfully, instead Susan looked thoughtful and Hannah seemed to be following her lead, "He'll probably be a decent teacher," she mused, "My Aunt told me he was one of the best auror's in the war so even if he can't teach very well, he'll know what he's talking about,"

"Unlike that idiot Lockhart," Ron interrupted and there were nods across the compartment. There are a few faint flickers of doubt on Hannah's features, a fact which irked Harry, but if he could convince her now that Sirius was a good person it would save trouble later on, because he would have two people in Hufflepuff who wouldn't believe Sirius was a mass murderer out to get everyone. "He's actually taught me a bit this summer," he put in, "He's quite a good teacher and I've had the best summer of my life since I went to stay with him." He finished, a bit defiantly. Hannah nodded but Susan was looking thoughtful,

"So the rumours are true then?" That comment immediately got Harry's back up and he became very wary, rumour was never very good, particularly when it came to him and he was determined to try to quash any of them as soon as possible.

"What rumours?" He asked, voice strained as a nasty thought occurred to him. If people believed that Sirius was abusing him they would try and take him away and he didn't think he could stand losing his godfather. Susan, Hannah and Neville looked at him curiously, slightly confused about the defensive nature of his reaction although he could also see Hermione and Ron sending him reassuring smiles, but Susan answered the question,

"The Prophet has been saying Sirius Black has taken over your guardianship. I'd have asked Aunt Amelia but she hates rumour in any way, shape or form and that's basically what the Prophet contains."

"Yes Sirius is my guardian now, he is my godfather and my parents wanted me to go to him if anything happened to them and since I went to live with him I have never been happier." The light that shone in his eyes with that statement showed clearly to everyone in the carriage that Harry meant every word he said and the conversation moved to more light hearted topics.

* * *

Waves of nostalgia hit Sirius as he stepped out of the floo into the entrance hall. There were so many memories accosiated with this place, meeting James and Remus, his friendship with the Marauders, the way it had become his home until he ran away, all the pranks they had played, the midnight wandering in animagus forms and then later, the year before, finally seeing Harry and convincing his godson of his innocence. After a few moments he shook them off, as much as he was tempted to wallow in memory it would not be a good idea to do so, he was here for Harry and he was not going to let anything get in the way of that duty.

Quickly he headed up the familiar stairways and corridors to the DADA classroom and his quarters, he needed to set up his classroom for the lessons, it wasn't that hard with magic however there was a lot he needed to do and he was only just finishing when lunch came around. With a sigh he sorted out the last few items before heading down to the Great Hall, it was certainly going to be strange interacting with the professors, many of whom had taught him, as equals.

As he entered the Great Hall virtually all eyes swivelled to him, from the looks, abject loathing and horror from Snape, compared with shock and disbelief from McGonagall he guessed that Dumbledore had neglected to inform them of who precisely had taken the Defence post. A grin broke out on his face as he saw the transfiguration teacher bury her face in her hands and as he got closer he heard her say, "He had to invite back the worst of the Marauders, and make him a professor! It'll be a miracle if Hogwarts remains standing."

"It won't be so bad Minnie," Sirius replied as he took his seat, "I have no intention of destroying the castle,"

"You'll just get your students to do it for you," she retorted dryly.

"I don't intend to do that either, although I can't vouch for what they will do once they start learning to duel and from what I've heard, the Weasley Twins are well on their way to destroying the castle, and I have to say I'm looking forward to teaching the sixth year Gryffindors." He saw her eyes widen and there was a muttered 'Merlin help us' which caused Sirius to chuckle as he started on his lunch, of course it had to be at that precise moment that Snape had to add in his two knuts worth,

"Of course you would favour the Gryffindor brats and pamper that arrogant godson of yours," he said snidely. Sirius's eyes darkened, Snape was perhaps the most prejudiced bastard to walk the earth and here he was accusing Sirius of being biased. But it was the slur against Harry that angered him the most. His godson was the most wonderful child he had ever met and despite everything that he had endured, all the abuse, neglect and suffering, he was still a brilliant, loving boy and to hear Snape sit there and insult him was more than the animagus could bear.

"Do not insult Harry," he ground out, rage flashing in his eyes. Snape merely glared in response,

"He's an arrogant, stuck up, mediocre brat! A carbon copy of his father." His voice, filled with vitriol echoed in the now silent Great Hall as the rest of the teachers abandoned their conversations to watch the developing argument. However for Sirius the spiel showed him precisely why Snape was so bitter, precisely why he was targeting Harry.

"And that's all you see him as," he said sharply, "As James, as his father. Never did you stop to consider that he's Lily's son too," The bite in his voice caused several teachers to flinch but Snape stayed put, although there was a flicker of emotion in the normally expressionless black eyes, "Never did you think that there might be a possibility that he was neither of his parents, that he could perhaps just be Harry! A boy who came here knowing nothing about them, not even being able to remember them, with his own ideas, his own personality!"

"Be that as it may he is still a spoiled, selfish brat, enamoured by his own fame," Snape said, his voice silky. Sirius saw red. He knew just how badly Harry had been hurt, how he was still healing, what those monsters had done to him. He had been there night after night when the nightmares came, he had sat through that trial listing as _his child _recounted the awful injuries they had inflicted on him, he had seen how difficult it was for Harry to believe that he could be loved and Snape sat there, judging his godson, ignoring any sign something was wrong, victimising him, hurting him, insulting him.

"How. Dare. You." Every syllable trembled with anger, "How dare you say such things about Harry." Snape's eyes widened, but he kept the sneer on his face,

"It's the truth Black." His tone was mocking but Sirius was beyond caring,

"Damn you Severus! Can't you ever see that he isn't James? I know we were awful to you but you gave as good as you got and Harry has done nothing to you! He isn't James, he's more like Lily, just forget who he looks like for once and actually look at him! And the last thing he is, is spoilt. He never had that opportunity." He had shouted the first part but his voice had grown quieter towards the end, and it was filled with sorrow as he thought of everything that Harry had gone through, everything that those bastards had done.

Snape looked to be on the verge of launching into a scathing tirade but on hearing the tone in Sirius's voice he paused and a strange expression crossed his face. Several of the other professors had also picked up on the strange note in his voice and now McGonagall turned to him, a questioning look on her face, "What did you mean by that Sirius?" She asked, voicing the question that was in everybody's mind.

Sirius frowned to himself, considering his options. He knew that Harry was afraid of people finding out about the abuse and he also knew it wasn't something he would want the professors to know. However when he considered the situation objectively he thought that it would be useful if they knew the bare bones of what had happened, basically just that he had been hurt by those bastards and that he was still healing. The more he thought about it the more he liked that idea, there was a fairly large chance that something could happen, be it accidental magic or a flashback if the wrong things were done or said, and looking at Snape's treatment of Harry it was very likely that something would happen in potions and if they knew something was wrong they would be less likely to make the situation worse.

He sucked in a deep breath, "Firstly what I am about to reveal has got to remain confidential, under healers and professor oath." Several shocked glances were exchanged as that statement sunk in, the oaths were hardly ever evoked, and with that one statement they knew that this was extremely serious.

Every eye was fixed on him and he knew he had to come right out and say it, there was no way to soften the blow, "Harry was abused by his relatives." The Great Hall was suddenly filled with noise and that revelation crashed down on the Professors. Sirius held up his hand and was rewarded with instant silence. "I am not going to go into detail, I will not betray his trust or hurt him by revealing that information but I will warn you that he was badly hurt and he is still recovering, physically and mentally and I will not stand for anything that hurts him further." His gaze lingered on Snape for a minute before his eyes swept over the gathered professors.

He saw shock, revulsion, anger and sadness on the faces of virtually all the professors and several, including McGonagall and Hagrid were crying. As his eyes met Snape's he saw utter shock on the face of his childhood rival, all the man's perceptions of Harry James Potter had been broken in a few seconds. But as his gaze moved to Dumbledore he felt rage well up inside him, for the was not a single hint of shock on Dumbledore's face, instead there was just resignation. The anger swelled up, racing through his veins. HE HAD KNOWN! Dumbledore had known and yet he had done nothing, instead he had sent his pup back to abusive relatives year after year.

His attention was distracted by the Mediwitch, "No Poppy," he said tiredly, "Harry is already being seen by a Healer and she has prescribed the necessary potions. He does not need or want an additional check up, particularly as he would realise why he is getting one. The only fact you need to know is that he is on daily nutrient potions for the next two months, and that is only so you do not accidentally give him something that will not work with those if he ends up in the Wing for anything else during that period." Grumbling the Mediwitch retreated and Sirius turned his attention back to the others.

"I request that none of you mention this to Harry, or do anything that makes it obvious that you know," his gaze lingered on the Mediwitch, "He's scared about people finding out and the only reason I mentioned this is because if certain people," his eyes flashed to Snape, "continue to act in certain ways he is almost certain to react badly, up to and including outbursts of accidental magic and if something does occur you won't make the situation worse."

"Accidental magic?" Flitwick questioned, "It is very strange for a child of his age to still have outbursts."

"Due to the circumstances," Sirius was being deliberately vague, they did not need to know about the binding or the extent of the abuse. That was something that would be kept between him, Harry and whoever else his godson decided to share the information with, "Harry has poor control over his magic and if he feels scared, angry or threatened it will lash out."

"I take it that something has already happened this summer?"

Sirius grimaced and nodded, "The first outburst destroyed the office we were in and threw me across the room," Whispers broke out across the table, "And the second one had the ground in Diagon Alley shaking before I managed to calm him down enough to ensure that it never reached full power. I still dread to think what would have happened if it had." There were exclamations of shock all across the table but Sirius was not going to say any more. The professors, with the possible exception of McGonagall knew everything they needed to and he thought he had managed to make the point to a certain greasy haired bat, hopefully Snape's bullying behaviour would be curbed and if something happened they would be able to deal with it, or at least, know enough to bring Harry to him and not make the situation worse.

Eventually the rest of the professors started up their own conversations once more, although the rest of the lunch was subdued and when Sirius glanced over at Snape he could see a contemplative expression on the man's features. Noticing his scrutiny, Snape raised a single eyebrow, a sneer still firmly fixed on his features. Sirius nodded shortly, turning back to his own meal and finished eating as soon as possible. As he started to rise, Minerva caught his eye, "Could I have a word with you in my office in a few minutes?" she asked quietly and Sirius nodded in the affirmative before quickly leaving the room.

* * *

BOOM! Cursing under his breath Harry snatched back his hand, his fingers already starting to redden. That was the problem with Exploding Snap, he mused, your fingers got hurt if you didn't move them away in time when the cards decided it was time to explode. However, he grinned to himself as he saw that the explosion had destroyed virtually all of Ron's cards, it was one of the few wizarding games he could actually beat his best friend at.

The girls were engaged in a discussion about Wizarding Tourist attractions and having beaten Ron (for the third time in a row) Harry started to listen to the conversation. Susan and Hannah were both raised in the Wizarding World and as such they knew a lot about how the world worked, not to mention they were both funny and seemed to be smart, although Susan was most definitely the leader of the pair and Hannah was much shyer, although watching them he could see that as she became more comfortable she started to enjoy the conversation and contribute more to the discussion.

The pleasant atmosphere was shattered by the arrival of a blonde, sneering Slytherin. "Go away Malfoy," Harry said tiredly not even bothering to look up, the last thing he wanted was to be annoyed by the arrogant bullying toerag that called itself the Malfoy Heir. "Nobody asked your opinion Potter," he sniped, before turning his attention to the rest of the compartment, "So this is where all the Blood Traitors and Mudbloods have ended up," he drawled, then his attention turned to Harry, "Are you enjoying life with the Blood Traitor Potter? I heard he beats you regularly," The sentence was spoken with relish. Anger welled up inside Harry,

"He has never touched me," he ground out, his wand already in his hand but Malfoy ignored him,

"People are saying he hits you..."

"Shut up!" He was on his feet,

"...locks you in the cellar..."

"Shut up!" Anger was blazing in his eyes, rage sweeping through him, raw and powerful.

"...starves you..."

"SHUT UP!"

"Is it true Potter? Does the Blood Traitor abuse you?" But Malfoy got no further. Rage had caught Harry and his eyes had darkened as he stared at the boy who had dared to utter such things in his hearing. Magic pulsed around him, whipping into a storm. With an ear-splitting groan a crack appeared in the compartment ceiling, racing towards the Malfoy Heir. Seeing the crack speeding towards him and the almost unearthly glow in Harry's eyes Draco Malfoy turned tail and fled, his two thugs following him.

Harry sat down suddenly, his breath coming in gasps. He hadn't meant to do accidental magic, but Malfoy had made him so angry that he had just lost control. As his heartbeat slowed and his temper cooled he became aware of the looks he was receiving from the other people in the compartment. Both Ron and Hermione looked ready to murder Malfoy but there was also a hint of calculation in Hermione's eyes, and he felt a sudden flash of fear, if anyone was going to put the pieces together it would be Hermione. Susan, Hannah and Neville on the other hand just looked shocked and a little anxious and he flashed a weak smile in their direction.

"I'm alright guys," he said quietly, "Malfoy just knows how to get on my nerves, I promise you that Sirius has never touched me, he wouldn't hurt me in any way." They looked mollified although Hermione sent him a look which clearly said we'll talk later and he tried not to flinch. That conversation was one he did not want to have, he had concealed the truth from them for three years now and he was worried that they would push him away once they knew, at least though, they knew that it was not Sirius who had hurt him. Sirius hadn't but then again Sirius had also been hurt by his family and he had promised that he would not judge him and he had kept that promise and neither of his friends had shown that they would not abandon him and he knew that if they did he would have no friends left and he didn't want to be alone. He had been alone enough when he was at the Dursleys.

* * *

"You wanted to see me Minerva?"

The stern professor nodded and Sirius noticed that her normally calm exterior was cracking, "I feel that I owe you...and Harry...an apology." Whatever he had been expecting her to say it certainly had not been that, but looking closer he could see the tears in her eyes, but he could see no reason why she should be upset or apologising.

"Minerva?" He asked quietly. It was a huge shock to see his old head of house and transfiguration professor like this. He had seen her anger, usually when one prank or another had crossed the line into bullying and he had also seen her happy, James and Lily's wedding sprang to mind but he had never ever seen the Professor so old, so broken. All the Marauders had regarded her as being as tough as nails and with the fieriest temper aside from Lily Evans.

She sucked in a deep breath, "Firstly I owe you an apology for believing that you would betray James and Lily,"

Sirius just waved it away, "That doesn't matter anymore but thank you for the apology," his voice turned bitter, "It's a lot more than I got from most of the Wizarding population. They still seem to believe I'm a mass murderer." He waved it away but his eyes betrayed the hurt that his incarceration had caused him.

McGonagall nodded before speaking again, although this time her voice was laced with guilt, "And I need to apologise to Harry too I think." Her eyes grew distant, "I was there when Albus placed Harry with them," Sirius couldn't hide his shock at the statement, "I told him that they were the worst sort of muggles, I tried to stop him but in the end I let him leave Harry there, I should have done more, and when he came here I should have seen that something was wrong." There was a quaver in her voice, "I didn't and I can't say anything more than that I'm sorry."

Sirius felt anger bubble up inside him at the confession, she should have tried harder, she should have seen but he realised now that there was nothing she could have done. Dumbledore had decided where Harry would go and he doubted anyone would have managed to change his mind once it was made up and Minerva had at least tried, she hadn't succeeded but it was a lot more than the rest of the Wizarding World had ever done. Yes he was angry that she had played any part in letting Harry go there but he also recognised that she had done her best. He nodded stiffly, his anger still there but not as fierce as it had been.

"It wasn't your fault Minerva, although I think it best if you don't mention any of this to Harry. He just wants to forget what happened."

He watched as she pulled herself back together, managing to return to her normally unruffled appearance. Only then did he ask, "Was there anything else?"

"Yes Sirius. Is Mr Potter going to be residing in Gryffindor Tower this year?"

"He is supposed to be, however it is highly likely he will spend a lot of his free time in my quarters, possibly joined by his friends and he will probably sleep there regularly as well. I expect most of his belongings to stay in the dorm though." He saw she was about to say something and he continued to speak, "I am not going to favour him in lessons, you don't need to worry about that, but outside of class he will always be welcome there."

The Deputy Head pursed her lips and nodded slowly, "I was going to caution you about showing favouritism and having too much contact outside of lessons but I suppose as long as you do not favour him in class and treat him differently in front of the other students it should be alright and from what you implied earlier I think that trying to prevent him from seeing you would not be in his best interest."

"I do not intend to make it more difficult for him by showing favouritism in lessons Minerva," he assured the older woman "But you were right about it not being in his best interest, I know that he needs the option of coming to me whenever he needs to." His eyes grew pensive, "He is still recovering from what happened, and there is a lot that still needs to be healed and I intend to support him. It is well known that I am his guardian so I don't foresee many problems outside lessons, and he isn't the first student to have had a close relative or even a parent who was a professor and there have not been problems in those cases," he pointed out.

She conceded the point then the conversation moved to lighter topics as they chatted about various inconsequential matters for a few more minutes, lesson plans, uses of transfiguration in a combat scenario, etc before Sirius nodded politely to his old teacher and headed off to finish setting up his classroom and quarters in preparation for the new term.

* * *

Hi all, hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for the reviews.

I feel I need to warn you that updates are likely to get slower over the coming weeks. I'm starting sixth form this week and I'm taking an extra A-Level so I won't have as much time to write, so I will be updating every one to two weeks instead of the regular schedule I have now.

Anyway, hope you liked it, and don't worry the confrontation with Dumbles is coming up in a chapter or so. Please review!


	22. Term Begins

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. There will be a few extracts from GOF contained within, especially from the opening feast and Dumbledore's speech. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 21 – Term Begins**

The Great Hall was filled with noise and laughter, the opening feast was just drawing to a close and all that was left were a few start of term notices before everyone would be shooed off in the direction of their dorms. The Gryffindor table in particular had been very lively, a prank by the Weasley twins which had turned half the table in to canaries had amused everyone although just how they had managed to pull off a prank in the short time before the feast had started only Merlin knew.

Harry was feeling much more relaxed as he settled down to eat in the place that had been his first home. Sirius was sitting at the high table, and the presence of his godfather filled the aching emptiness that had wormed its way into his heart during the long train ride. He hadn't managed to speak to Sirius yet but he had seen his godfather watching him several times during the feast and when Sirius had noticed his scrutiny, his godfather had smiled gently at him and he knew all his earlier worries on the train were completely unfounded. He expected that the animagus would corner him after the feast, but if he didn't Harry intended to go and find him anyway.

The chime of a silver spoon on a crystal goblet echoed through the room and silence slowly spread. Once he was sure he had a captive audience Dumbledore stood, turning a benevolent gaze on the students, out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Harry stiffened slightly but he pushed the thought aside, there was no way the boy could know of his actions regarding his placement at the Dursleys. "Now we are call fed and watered, there are a few start of term notices I must give out."

Harry listened, bored as Dumbledore went through the rules that he had heard every year, the forbidden forest is forbidden, items which were banned, Hogsmede arrangement etc etc. His interest was caught once more when Dumbledore announced, "It gives me great pleasure to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Sirius Black."

There was a beat of dead silence in the hall, and then the muttering broke out. "Black?!", "Sirius Black?" The whispers flew back and forth, although the he had been found innocent and pardoned there were still very few who believed in his innocence, he had been a mass murderer, escaped Azkaban, had been on the run. Dementors had been stationed at the school to protect them from him and here he was teaching. They could hardly believe it.

The sound of applause broke into the hall and as one the students turned to see Harry Potter on his feet, a delighted smile on his face as he clapped enthusiastically, accompanied by Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and somewhat surprisingly Neville Longbottom, Susan Bones and Hannah Abotts.

The mutterings turned into murmurs of shocked surprise, why was Harry Potter of all people supporting Sirius Black, supposedly his parents betrayer? However Harry ignored all the whispers as he applauded, showing everyone in the hall that he fully supported his godfather. His smile grew wider as Sirius returned the smile before he inclined his head in Dumbledore's direction, indicating that the Headmaster should be allowed to finish his speech.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, "We are to have the honour of holding a very exciting event over the coming months, an event which has not been held for over a century. It gives me great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be held at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" said Fred Weasley loudly. The tension which had filled the hall ever since Sirius had been announced broke as laughter swept through the hall, both at Fred's outburst and Dumbledore's response.

The next several minutes were filled with an explanation of what the tournament entailed and whilst Harry listened, he didn't pay the rapt attention that many of the others in the hall did and he was not one of the ones who groaned when the news about the age line was announced. He was very glad he didn't have to compete, and that there were actually means to prevent him from entering. For the first time in his life he wanted a quiet year where he didn't get into danger. He could have a normal year, with his godfather nearby, who he could go whenever he needed it and for the first time in his life he could actually have a normal year at school.

The notice about the tournament had been the last notice and soon the students were all heading to their respective dorms and common rooms, however as he exited the hall Harry hung back, waiting for Sirius. He got several curious looks but he ignored them, knowing his godfather would be there soon. Sure enough, only another minute passed before the animagus exited the hall, his eyes roving around as he looked for his godson. Seeing Harry he strode over, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder, "Come on pup, lets head to my quarters. I've got a few things I need to speak to you about and I'd rather not do so in public."

Harry nodded quickly and relaxed as Sirius led him through the deserted hallways, leaning into the comforting touch, all his earlier worries and misgivings completely assuaged by the presence of his godfather at his side. They came to the corridor adjacent to the Defence Classroom and Sirius stopped in front of a portrait of a large black Grim stalking a graveyard. "Appropriate isn't it," the animagus commented softly as it swung open to give them entry.

As soon as they were inside and the portrait had swung shut Harry found himself wrapped in his godfather's arms. Relishing in the feeling of love and security that surrounded him he returned the embrace, completely content. After a few moments Sirius released him before leading him over to the sofa, and indicating that he should take a seat before his godfather joined him, placing his arm over his shoulders and tugging him to his side. Harry nestled against him, just enjoying being with his godfather once more as he waited for Sirius to speak.

"Harry I want you to promise me something," Sirius's voice was serious and immediately Harry gave his godfather his full attention, the animagus had only spoken to him like that twice before and he knew instantly that whatever his godfather wanted, it was bound to be important. "I want you to promise me that you won't try to enter the tournament." In response to Harry's puzzled look he elaborated, "I know there is an age line preventing you from entering but I don't want to take the chance that in trying to bypass it you could accidentally enter. People have died in this tournament and I want you as far away from it as possible, your safety is something I will never risk."

"I promise I won't try and enter Sirius." The words were easy to say, not only did he have absolutely no interest whatsoever in getting into danger this year, he also loved the fact that his godfather cared for him so much and he didn't want to do anything that would hurt him. In response, Sirius pulled him closer and pressed a kiss into his messy black hair, "Thank you," he murmured. Harry just smiled as he leant against his godfather's side. It felt wonderful to know that his godfather cared for him and wanted to protect him, he was the only adult who he could remember doing that.

Sirius smiled down at his godson, relieved that he had Harry's promise and the knowledge that his pup would remain safe. There were magical protections but all it would take was a singe accident, or for it to fail once and Harry could be caught in a binding magical contract. Knowing he was going to be safe calmed his heart somewhat, however his thoughts wandered once more as he wondered whether he should tell his godson that the professors knew that something had happened.

After a bit of deliberation he decided that he should. He didn't want to keep things from Harry, his godson's trust was far too precious to risk losing it like that and he knew it would only hurt the boy more if he discovered that Sirius had kept something from him, something that involved him. However the conversation would be a minefield and he would have to be very careful during it not to frighten Harry.

"Pup," Harry raised his head to look his godfather in the eye, "The Professors know that there is something wrong." Immediately the boy started to tremble and Sirius instantly pulled him into his arms and embraced him gently, stroking the teen's back with one hand, it was the reaction he had been hoping he wouldn't get.

Harry couldn't think coherently, only one thought beat around his head, they knew, they knew, they knew. He felt his godfather pull him onto his lap and strong arms wrapped around him, holding him like a little child, comforting and safe. But still his mind was still dominated by a single thought, they knew, they knew his most shameful secret, they knew that Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived couldn't even stand up to his stupid muggle uncle. "It's alright Harry," his godfather's soft voice broke into his thoughts. But he thought bitterly, it wouldn't be alright, the professors knew and soon everyone would know and then all the acceptance he had would be taken away. He felt hot tears prick in the corner of his eyes, but Sirius's next words threw all those thoughts out the window,

"They don't know any details pup, all they know is that you were badly hurt and are still healing." Harry felt hope rise in him once more,

"T-t-they don't know that my uncle hurt me?" He whispered, shudders still running through his body,

"No pup," Sirius replied gently, hating the fear and pain he could hear in his godson's voice and the knowledge that he had caused it, "They don't know anything about what those bastards did to you, most of them don't even know who they are, Dumbledore kept the secret of where you were living close to his chest. The only things they know are that you were hurt badly and are still recovering physically and mentally."

"T-t-they won't tell anybody?" Sirius could hear the plea in the childlike question and he hugged Harry closer, carding his fingers through the messy mop and he smiled as he felt his godson relax slightly.

"They can't tell anyone pup, the information is completely confidential, it's covered by the oath they take when they become professors, not to reveal confidential information about a student to anyone except the child's guardian." Harry felt relief seep through him and he slumped back into his godfather's protective hold. The professors knew that something was wrong but they still didn't know any details and they couldn't tell anyone apart from Sirius and he already knew a lot more than they did. They wouldn't judge him for being hurt by his uncle because they wouldn't know how weak he had been, how freakish he was and they couldn't tell anyone either. His secret was still safe and with Sirius here he knew he wouldn't be alone. Suddenly a horrible thought struck him,

"What about Snape?" he asked, a quiver of fear in his voice, "Does he know too?"

"Yes he does," came the quiet reply, and Harry stiffened, Snape would make his life a misery with this new knowledge, "But," the animagus continued as if he had read his mind, "He will not do anything, not regarding what he now knows but if he does I will personally hunt him down and make sure he pays for it. I'll do that if he hurts you in any way and he won't be left standing afterwards." Hearing the fierce protectiveness in Sirius's voice Harry knew that even if Snape was absolutely awful Sirius would be there and would protect him with everything he had.

He stayed like that, curled up against his godfather's side for several more moments, just enjoying being with his godfather with no expectations, rumours or whispers to dim his happiness. However all too soon Sirius released him, "You need to get back to your common room before curfew," he said softly. Harry sighed quietly, he didn't want to leave but he knew that Hermione and Ron would worry if he didn't come back and Sirius would still be here in the morning, he just didn't want to give up the feeling of love and family he had whenever he was around his godfather. As if Sirius had read his thoughts the animagus commented quietly "I'm sure Hermione and Ron will want to see you tonight and you don't need to worry, I am always going to be here for you, even if it's three in the morning."

Harry smiled slightly at the statement, then he reached out for a hug and his godfather immediately gathered him up, holding him tightly as Harry snuggled deeper into his hold. "I'll go to the dorm in a minute," he murmured. Sirius just smiled down at him before letting him go and gently pushing him to his feet,

"The password to the Gryffindor common room is Fortuna Major," Sirius said as Harry made his way to the portrait hole, "And don't forget you are always welcome here and don't hesitate to come in, or wake me up if you need me alright?" He added. Harry nodded in response, still slightly overwhelmed by the amount of support his godfather was giving him, although he relished the feeling of being so protected, cared for and loved. The animagus smiled tenderly at him, "Sleep well pup," he said softly.

"'Night Sirius," Harry replied before he climbed out of the portrait hole and headed in the direction of the Gryffindor Common room for his first night in his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

Severus Snape was stalking his office, his mind racing. He couldn't believe that Potter of all people had been abused, it didn't make sense, and surely after his childhood he would have recognised it, recognised the signs, after all it is much easier to identify if you experienced it yourself. And he had seen nothing. 'Or you just didn't want to see' a small voice in the back of his mind whispered, 'You wanted to believe he was James Potter so you could hate him in peace and not remember that he's Lily's son too.'

Snarling under his breath he pushed the thought aside. Would Black have lied about Potter? The instant that thought entered his brain the answer came back as a resounding negative, no matter what Black had done he knew the man cared for the boy and the anger Black had displayed was the anger of a parent defending their child. His lips curled up in a sneer, of course Black would love Potter's spawn, spoil him rotten too and make him even more arrogant.

'But,' that annoying little voice spoke up again, 'You heard the pain in his voice, nobody can fake that sort of sorrow." That thought brought him up short, just as the original incident had done. He had heard Black's voice as he spoke, seen the hurt and pain in his eyes, perhaps, just perhaps Black had been right, and Potter had been abused. 'And if he has what then?' The small voice spoke up again and for a moment he considered the ramifications of brutally murdering the voices in his head before he tossed the idea aside and brought his thoughts back to the issue at hand.

If Potter had been abused what should he do? If he was honest with himself he knew that he couldn't keep treating the boy with the same level of hate, disdain yes but not outright hate. He knew what happened to children in abusive households and it was one thing he would not stand for, not for any child. But the real question was how much Potter had been abused? Looking at the situation objectively he was forced to admit it was fairly likely the boy had been abused, why else would Black put it under oath, but how bad was the situation? Was the abuse minor and Black overreacting, he thought that was probably the most likely scenario but he would need to know more before he could decide what he was going to do, after all there was a small chance it had been serious, but as he continued to think about it he drew closer to the idea it was minor. After all he had never picked up any hints and he was sure he would have done had the situation been serious, and Black, the fool he was, was likely to have responded very badly to any sign of mistreatment, even if it was minor.

But still he wanted confirmation, he needed to know it wasn't a pack of lies and that he was justified in treating Potter's spawn in such a way. With that decided he pondered his options. Finally he came to the conclusion that a light legilimency probe would suit his needs nicely. Potter had no defences and it would be easy in the course of a potions lesson to slip into his mind and access the necessary information. Yes, he thought as he finally stopped pacing, that would be a good solution and once he had the information he needed he could then decide what to do next.

* * *

Hermione and Ron were waiting for him when Harry tumbled through into the common room with only few minutes to spare. "There you are!" she exclaimed, "I was beginning to think you were going to spend the night there!"

"I'll probably do that fairly often," Harry admitted as he collapsed into the sofa beside them, "Especially if something happens, but sometimes I'll do that just because I can," he paused slightly, "I mean, it's nice knowing I've got the option if I want to." They both nodded, before they shared a glance and Harry felt apprehension rise up inside him, he had a feeling they had had a conversation about what Hermione had picked up on the train whilst he had been absent. Ron's next words confirmed it,

"Mate, um, about that incident on the train, I mean I know Malfoy's a complete git and all, but,"

"What Ron's trying to say," Hermione interrupted gently, responding to the slightly panicked glances the redhead was shooting at her, "We noticed that your reaction to his taunts wasn't... wasn't normal and, well to put it bluntly we're worried."

"Sirius hasn't hurt me in any way," Harry said quickly, "He loves me and he'd never hurt me." Hermione held her hands up in a peacemaking gesture, "We know Sirius wouldn't hurt you, we've been to your house enough times to see how much he cares for you." He let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. They didn't think Sirius was abusing him, that at least was a relief but looking at their concerned faces he knew there was more.

"I know the muggles don't treat you properly," Ron put in,

"Harry," Hermione said, her voice solemn and he noted distractedly that she was biting on her lip, "Did they ever... did they ever, well, hurt you?"

Harry felt panic well up inside him, that was the one question he didn't want them to have asked, they couldn't know because then they might abandon him and he would lose the only friends he had. His eyes darted around as if looking for an escape, he didn't want to lie to them but at the same time he couldn't tell them, "It's nothing guys," he said, trying to put some conviction into his voice, and even to his own ears he failed miserably.

He saw the concern on their faces grow, Ron in particular looked very sceptical, "Starving you and putting bars on your window is not nothing Harry!" Harry winced at the outburst and immediately glanced around the room worriedly, checking that nobody had heard. He had forgotten that Ron and the Twins had broken him out of his bedroom at the start of second year, now it was going to be a lot harder to convince him it was nothing. "It's alright honestly and I've got Sirius now, it doesn't matter anymore." He said hoping to placate them. However his words had the opposite effect and instead of calming them down they only served to make Hermione more concerned and angry.

"Harry it's not nothing if they hurt you! Of course it matters!" She said, concern colouring the whisper. He flinched slightly, glancing around. Although the conversation had been taking place in whispers he couldn't help fearing that somebody would overhear the muted voices.

"Please 'Mione," he begged, "Can we talk about this later?" He glanced around again, "And somewhere else?" She shot him a searching look, before looking around the common room, seeing the reason for his unease.

"If we let you wriggle out of this, you'll never talk about it," she said, although there was compassion in her voice. With that sentence Harry knew he was caught, they weren't going to stop digging until they found out what had actually happened and he knew what their curiosity was like, what they were like when they got hold of a problem. "Please 'Mione, Ron," he pleaded before taking a deep breath, "I promise I'll talk but please can we do it later, with Sirius, please." That way, even if they rejected him, he would still have his godfather and Sirius would be there to support him and talk about it if he couldn't. He knew his godfather knew the most about what had happened at the Dursleys aside from Harry.

His friends shared a glance before turning back to him and nodding, "But we will go after lessons tomorrow, you aren't getting out of this Harry," He nodded, swallowing the lump that rose up in his throat. Looking at his friends faces he could see nothing but concern and worry, perhaps, just perhaps they wouldn't abandon him? Would they have pressed him so hard if they were just going to abandon him? He didn't know the answer but he sincerely hoped that they would not. He couldn't lose the first friends he had ever had.

* * *

"Good morning everyone and welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts," Sirius smiled down at the class, noting that he had been given Gryffindor and Slytherin (why anyone put those two house together when he was going to be teaching them duelling he really didn't know) and also seeing that apart from his godson and his friends, everyone else was shooting him wary looks. Internally he sighed, he had been getting a lot of these looks, especially around the school and it was getting a little irritating, but one glance at Harry and the irritation vanished, he was doing this for his godson and any amount of irritation was worth it if he could keep Harry safe.

"Firstly I have a few things to say to you, I am not a Death Eater, nor have I ever supported Voldemort," he ignored the flinches, "And whilst I broke out of Azkaban I was innocent of the crimes I was accused of. Secondly, whilst I am pureblood I will not tolerate any prejudice in my classes, anyone using the word 'mudblood' or any similar slur will find themselves in detention faster than they can blink," his eyes roved the Slytherin side of the classroom, lingering on Malfoy, "Do I make myself clear?" There was a chorus of 'yes' and 'yes sirs' as well as nodding heads although he noticed some of the Slytherins, particularly Malfoy's group, looked murderous.

"Now, onto what I will be teaching you this year. We will cover curses, hexes, jinks and counter jinks and I am also going to teach you duelling and dodging," there was an excited murmur at that announcement, the idea of learning how to duel appealed to everyone, "However if I see any Dark curses or hexes or any curses designed to kill or maim, the caster will find themselves out of this class, in detention for the rest of the school year and they will automatically fail the end of year exam in this subject. And if you believe I will not recognise a curse you will find yourself mistaken. I was an Auror in the last war and I have fought, and killed Death Eaters and as such I have a wide knowledge of the Dark Arts and how to recognise them." Silence stretched in the classroom and he noted that several people, especially the Slytherins looked very uncomfortable with his announcements, only Harry showed no visible reaction, but he already knew what Sirius had done in the war, and he knew that his father had done the same.

"Pack away your books and place your bags on the racks at the back of the classroom. Today's lesson will be practical and you will only need your wands." Several people looked at him curiously but they all followed his instructions and once the desks were clear Sirius waved his wand and with a muttered incantation all the desks flew to the side of the room and stacked themselves neatly, creating an almost empty classroom.

The fourth years were all facing him, a mixture of wariness, curiosity and excitement in their faces. Sirius could understand that, the practical lessons they had received from Remus had been good, however Lockhart and Quirrel had just been jokes, and he could see why they might be wary. He smiled at the class and received a few tentative smiles in return, although he could almost feel the joy radiating off his godson.

"The Killing Curse," he shot an apologetic look over to Harry who had paled at the mention of the curse, "Cannot be stopped by any magical shield, so how would you avoid being hit by it?" He asked the question bluntly and wasn't surprised at the looks of fear, shock and worry that appeared on the faces of the students. He saw Hermione raise her hand slowly, "Miss Granger,"

"You could use an object to absorb the curse professor," she said quietly and he nodded in response.

"Yes that is certainly one way, you could summon an object, transfigure something, conjure something or levitate something into the curse's path and it would definitely prevent you from being hit, but there is a problem with that method, could anyone tell me what it is?" He noticed that Hermione was looking slightly put out that her answer was not completely correct but when no student raised their hand he picked a Slytherin at random, "Mr Zabini?"

The boy frowned for a few moments before answering, "You have to cast a spell?"

"Correct," the boy looked relieved and he noticed that the class were slowly beginning to relax, they were still wary of the 'mass-murderer' but as he wasn't showing any signs of going on a killing spree they were beginning to listen and calm down slightly. "Casting a spell, especially in a battle takes magical energy and you only have a limited supply, and you want as much magic as possible to be used to either find an escape route or to use on the offense, therefore when you have techniques that do not use magic you should use as many as possible. Now can anyone tell me how to avoid a curse without using magic?"

There were a few surprised mutterings at this and he saw Malfoy shrug disdainfully, it looked like the boy wanted to say something but he obviously thought better of it after a few moments. Inwardly Sirius smiled grimly, it appeared that the boy had taken his warnings to heart or at the very least he was not going to mess around right under his nose. Nobody had raised their hand yet and he sent a questioning glance at his godson, he knew Harry knew the answer; they had worked on dodging and duelling enough over the summer.

In response to his glance he saw understanding dawn in Harry's eyes and his godson raised his hand, "Yes Mr Potter?" he asked, reminding himself firmly not to refer to his pup as Harry.

"You need to dodge it," Harry answered with conviction. Sirius sent a pleased smile at him before turning to the rest of the class,

"Mr Potter is correct, the best way to avoid being hit by any curse is not to be there when it hits. Dodging requires no magic and you are able to return fire at the same time and that is what we are going to be practicing today."

He saw the excitement in the student's eyes and he grinned; "Now this is how it is going to work..."

* * *

The class that exited the DADA classroom all had grins on their faces and tousled hair as they made their way to their next classes. A few people were still smarting from the stinging hexes that had been sent their way but on the whole it was agreed that Sirius Black was one of the best DADA teachers they had ever had. Both Dean and Seamus had told Harry just how cool his godfather was and most of the Gryffindors had forgotten that he was supposed to be a mass murderer, all he was now was the new, good DADA teacher and Harry's godfather.

Harry couldn't help but smile, Sirius's first lesson had been a success and he had badly wanted his godfather to be accepted at Hogwarts, he would have coped if he hadn't but he knew it was far far nicer when Sirius and by extension him were not being shunned. Not to mention it had also been one of the best classes he had ever had in DADA, ranking alongside several of Remus's lessons from the previous year. Most of the class were breathless but it had been the most fun he had ever had in a lesson, they had spent the whole lesson dodging and firing hexes and he had enjoyed every minute of it, not to mention the fact it was _Sirius _teaching them and just the presence of his godfather made the whole experience that much better.

His mood soured however as they reached the Potions classroom, why they had to have his favourite lesson and his most hated lesson right next to each other he didn't know. It was especially annoying that Potions came after DADA, that way the good mood he got from being in Sirius's class would be utterly destroyed by Snape, if it was the other way round he would have had his godfather's lesson to cheer him up afterwards. He sighed as the filed in and took their places, waiting for the customary scathing remarks.

To nobody's surprise, least of all Harry's Snape kept up a steady stream of verbal commentary, mocking everything from his potions ability to his personality. Harry just snapped on a blank mask and concentrated as hard as possible on his potion. Do not rise to the bait, do not rise to the bait he kept chanting mentally. He knew this was why the man tormented him, he loved getting any reaction he could then punish Harry for, be it with lost points or a detention.

It was hard trying to keep his temper in check though and he soon found himself gritting his teeth as he stared at his potion, making it almost mechanically. At least Snape had yet to mention anything about the abuse and was seemingly content with his old taunts but that was scant comfort as the man continued to pour vitriol over him. The potions master had done this ever since he had started Hogwarts but it didn't make it any easier to hear. He could endure the taunts about himself, people had been mocking him and being cruel to him for as long as he could remember and whilst that hurt, he couldn't deny that it did, he was somewhat deadened to it now and even the months of being with Sirius, being loved and wanted, couldn't change that.

But what really hurt were the slurs against his family, against his father and his godfather. He had never had a family before Sirius and he couldn't remember his father and it hurt so badly to hear the taunts, the lies that poured from Snape's lips. He didn't know his father and to be told horrible things about him reminded him too clearly of his Aunt and Uncle, they had always mocked his parents. But now he had a new target with Sirius, and listening to all the taunts and cruel words when his godfather had been nothing but loving and kind was more than he could bear.

"Selfish and stuck-up, just like your godfather, you must be so proud Potter," the sneering voice of his potions professor finally broke through his self control and for a moment he cracked, eyes darting upwards to catch the black gaze of Severus Snape. Suddenly he felt something flutter against his labyrinth, the pressure was only there for a second before it vanished and he thought he saw a hint of confusion in his teacher's normally expressionless eyes.

However that didn't last long and he let out a gasp as a mental probe slammed into his defences, a probe far stronger than any Sirius had done. Instantly all other thoughts fled his mind as he focused his entire being on getting this presence out of his mind.

For his part Snape was confused, when did the brat learn occlumency? Regardless he pressed on slipping round the hedges, this labyrinth would never keep him out for long, even if the Potter boy did know occlumency it was going to be weak and mediocre just like everything the brat did. Mindless of the anger he could feel simmering around him he pressed forward into one of the walls, there was no way he was going to traverse that maze, he wasn't a Master Legilimens for nothing, he would easily be able to break through whatever walls were there.

Harry let out a pained cry and his hands flew up to his forehead and he clutched it, whoever this invader was they were pushing their way through the walls of his labyrinth and it _hurt_. The images that made up his barriers began to flash through his mind.

He saw his uncle, face mottled with rage raising his fists in preparation to strike, he felt Voldemort's taunts wash over him, he heard the cry of 'Freak, freak, worthless freak' echo around him, Dudley was chasing him, Harry hunting, shivering in his cupboard, body aching from the pain of a thousand bruises and cuts.

His hands pressed into his temples, fingernails cutting into the skin, drawing blood. Tears began to build in his eyes and rage and anger began to build up inside him. He wanted them out, he wanted them gone. They were hurting him, they were forcing him to remember and he didn't want to, it was private, they had no right breaking in, they shouldn't hurt him. Agony pulsed out from his forehead as his attacker forced their way harshly through another wall. They were getting closer and closer and he wanted them gone, he didn't want the pain, he didn't want to remember.

"GET OUT," he screamed, tears forcing their way out underneath closed eyelids and streaking down pale cheeks, "GO AWAY!" His breath was coming in ragged gasps, "JUST GET OUT!"

With the last shout a pulse of magic shot out, slamming into Snape and throwing him across the room as the presence in his head vanished. Harry fell forward, fingers clutching at the desk for support.

Emerald eyes widened as they took in the now silent classroom, the worried, shocked, scared faces of his classmates, the circles of cracked and broken objects radiating out from where he stood and finally the sight of his potions professor lying haphazardly against the far wall of the classroom obvious out cold.

With tears still falling from his eyes, his uncle's taunts and beatings still flashing before his eyes, Harry Potter took one look at the wrecked classroom before he turned and fled out of the room. He needed to escape, to get away, to go to the one place he felt safe. He needed to find Sirius.

* * *

Sirius had just dismissed his class and was heading to lunch when Ron and Hermione came barrelling down the corridor, straight to his classroom, frantic expressions on their faces. He felt dread settle in his stomach as he realised Harry was nowhere in sight. "What's wrong?" he demanded, fear turning his voice harsh, but the two teens didn't seem to notice his tone as Hermione gasped out an answer,

"It's Harry, we can't find him anywhere, something happened in potions, he ran off, and we haven't been able to find him, we hoped he'd come to you."

Rage rose up in him, only the quashed by the worry that was seeping through, overriding anything else, "Thank you for telling me," he said, his voice strangled, "You've checked the castle?" They both nodded,

"We've been to the common room, dorms, towers, even down to Hagrid's and the shack." This time it was Ron who answered, "Then Hermione had the idea that he might have come to you but obviously not." There was a defeated tone in his voice but as the boy spoke an idea occurred to Sirius, Harry hadn't come into his classroom, he had been teaching and he guessed that his godson wouldn't interrupt but he might have gone to his quarters, after all he had told his godson he was always welcome there and the teen would probably feel safe there.

"Go to lunch you two, I think I know where he might be." Ron accepted his words but Hermione was more stubborn, "Hermione," he explained, trying not to let his impatience leak through, "If this is what I think it is, he is likely to be very upset when I find him and the last thing he will want is for you two to see that before you know everything," He saw understanding in her expression and knew then that she at least had guessed some of the truth in regards to what Harry had gone through. Hermione had one more question though, "Will he be at afternoon lessons?" Sirius paused before answering,

"Probably, but if he isn't he'll be in my quarters and you two can come after lessons are over and see him then alright?" They both nodded before hurrying off in the direction of the Great Hall. Sirius turned and immediately headed for his quarters, praying that his suspicions were correct.

He stepped through the portrait hole, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of his godson. He let out a relieved breath he didn't know he had been holding as he spotted the boy curled up in a corner of the sofa. Harry was here and although the worry was still blazing strongly as he looked at the huddled form there was the relief of knowing he knew where his pup was and he was able to comfort him.

He crossed the room, moving to Harry's side and as he got closer he could see his godson was shaking and he could hear the sound of muffled sobs. "Harry?" he asked softly, kneeling in front of the distraught boy and placing his hands on his godson's shoulders. Instantly Harry looked up, tear tracks marking his cheeks and fear crossed his face for a brief moment before he saw who was in front of him, "Sirius," he whispered brokenly.

In an instant Sirius was sitting on the sofa, reaching out to pull the child into his arms. Harry didn't fight him and as soon as he was wrapped in his godfather's embrace he turned and buried his face in the animagus's robes. Sirius held him gently, stroking his fingers through the raven hair and murmuring words of comfort.

Harry clung to Sirius, he knew he was acting like a little child but he didn't care, fear had been growing in him over the past half hour as he waited for his godfather to come. The memories he had seen had shaken him, he had thought he had locked them away so they couldn't hurt him anymore but he was wrong. Whatever had happened had forced him to relive them and it had hurt, it had hurt so much. Not to mention he had thrown Snape across the room, he had hurt him, perhaps badly, all he had seen was that the man appeared to be out cold and he had destroyed the potions lab. He knew he was going to be in a lot of trouble, maybe even enough to be suspended and he knew he couldn't stand that, Sirius would be disappointed in him and whilst he knew his godfather would not withdraw his love the thought of disappointing him made a lump grow in his chest, almost suffocating him, and now Sirius was here, if he was sent home he wouldn't have anyone, he would be alone and he knew he wouldn't be able to stand that.

"What happened Harry?" His godfather's voice was soft as it broke into his thoughts.

Harry didn't raise his head, a sense of shame welling up inside him as he burrowed into Sirius's hold, seeking the reassurance of the embrace. His godfather tightened his arms and didn't say anything but Harry could tell that he was waiting for an answer. Unwilling to disappoint the older wizard more than he must have done so already, he started to speak quietly,

"I was in potions...I lost control, accidental magic...I threw Snape across the room...I don't know if I hurt him...my magic destroyed the classroom...breaking everything...then I ran away,"

Fingers captured his chin and gently they tilted it upwards so he was looking into kind grey eyes, "Why did you lose control pup?"

"I don't really know," he muttered, "Someone was trying to get into my mind, they were forcing their way through the walls and it hurt," his voice cracked slightly on the last word and automatically Sirius's arms tightened, "It forced me to see things, the memories the walls were made of, ones I didn't want to see," unspoken was the knowledge that it was memories of his time at the Dursleys, both already knew this and knew just how badly they had affected Harry, "I didn't want them there, I just wanted them out. I don't quite know what happened next, I remember getting angry and upset, I was shouting I think, and when I opened my eyes I could see what I had done." His voice trembled and Sirius pulled him closer, gently rubbing his back,

"It's alright pup, it's not your fault, you can't control your accidental magic and you were defending yourself against a mental attack. You did nothing wrong."

"I didn't?" Harry's voice was quiet and Sirius forced his anger away. He knew what had happened, there was only one person in that classroom who possessed the skills to invade somebody's mind and that person was Snape. The bastard had forced his way into his godson's mind and in doing so he had hurt Harry. There would be a reckoning, he would not let the greasy git get away with what he had done but he knew if he showed his anger now he would only alarm the boy.

"No you didn't," Sirius said gently, "You were defending yourself and your magic responded. What Snape did was not only wrong but also illegal and I promise that I will not let him get away with it. You will not get in trouble and you will not be punished and I will deal with Snape, he will not hurt you again."

Harry stared at him for a long moment, green eyes searching the grey, looking for any signs that Sirius was not completely sincere. Finding nothing he slumped back into his godfather's hold, burrowing deeper into the embrace and greedily drinking in the comfort Sirius offered him so willingly, banishing the last remnants of the memories from his mind.

He stayed like that for a long time, curled up in his godfather's arms and Sirius made no move to go or to release him, seeming to understand that Harry needed him there, that the boy still needed the comfort despite the fact that the fear had passed. Eventually Harry's voice broke the silence, "Ron and Hermione have guessed, they want me to explain," Sirius nodded to himself, he had suspected as much earlier that day and if they were the friends he thought they were, they wouldn't leave an issue so serious unresolved. A slight tilt of his head indicated that he wanted the teen to continue. "I said that I would explain this evening, would you mind if...well if we came here to do it...and would you stay with me, and help me when I need it?"

Sirius didn't even have to think, "Of course I will pup, and you can come here anytime after lessons have finished." He saw the relief that flowed through his godson's face at these words, "I will never abandon you Harry," he whispered fiercely, "And I will always be here for you, no matter what." He smiled tenderly down at his godson and an answering smile crept shyly across the boy's features.

Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss into the messy hair, "As much as I would like to stay here all afternoon, I have lessons I need to teach and I believe you have lessons to go to and friends who are worried about you."

Harry sighed but he slipped off his godfather's lap, giving the man one last hug before hurrying off to afternoon lessons. Sirius watched him go before heading to his own classroom to start the afternoon lessons.

* * *

Hi all, here is the next update and I hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to update every week and a half, so the next update of this will probably be a week on Sunday.

For the reviewer who was curious, A-Levels are like NEWTS in British schools and thanks for all the reviews and support for this story. Incidentally, for those who are also reading AGB I would appreciate it if you contributed to the poll on my profile page. Anyway, see you soon, and please review.

NOTE - I have just edited the chapter, I didn't realise until I got several reviews that I had made Hermione completely tactless in this chapter, it hadn't been my intention so I have just altered it. Thanks for pointing it out though.


	23. A Goblet of Fire

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 22 – A Goblet of Fire**

Harry made it to the transfiguration classroom just minutes before the lesson was due to start and he saw both Ron and Hermione shoot him concerned looks as he slid into his seat. There was a knot in his stomach as he thought about the conversation he would not be able to wriggle out of and his uneasiness only increased when he noticed the looks the rest of the class were sending at him. The story of the potions incident had swept through the school like wildfire as well as the story of his disappearance and many were sending him confused, puzzled and sympathetic looks. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to ignore them, it wasn't the first time whispers had followed him, and, he thought bitterly, it wouldn't be the last either.

He was saved by McGonagall as she entered the room. All the houses knew not the mess around in the stern Professor's lessons and it with undiluted relief that Harry focussed his attention on the lecture, when McGonagall was talking he was given some respite from the constant whispers.

Soon they moved onto the practical portion of the lesson, they were each handed a white mouse and were instructed to turn it blue. Harry knew his transfiguration had improved over the holidays, a side effect of extra magical power and practicing the animagus transformation and he had been looking forward to the practical part of the lesson. Casting the spell however he was shocked when his mouse instantly turned blue, it wasn't the right shade, but still it was most definitely blue. His mouth dropped open and he could see Hermione's shocked expression.

Just to check it wasn't a fluke he cast the spell again and watched as the mouse reverted to its original white, a second cast turned it the precise blue they were supposed to achieve. A few more tries and he was sure, it wasn't a fluke, he had mastered the transfiguration instantly. By this point Hermione had regained her wits, "How are you doing that?" she asked quietly, as her own mouse was slowly approaching the correct colouring.

"I don't know," Harry whispered back, "I know I've got better due to practicing you-know-what," he paused, wondering whether he should tell her about the binding, he soon decided that he should. He didn't want to conceal anything from his best friends and whilst Ron was unlikely to notice the improvement Hermione certainly would and she would start looking for answers and out of all the secrets he had it was one of the easiest ones to speak about, "Also over the summer we discovered that I only had access to half my magic and I got access to the other half, but still I wasn't expecting to become this good at spells so quickly."

Hermione nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face as she absorbed that information and finally completed her own transfiguration. She was pleased at her friend's progress although it was galling to suddenly be beaten after so many years of nagging him to work harder. Still, a small voice spoke up, it wasn't his fault he only had half his power and at least now you will have a proper rival in classes. She smirked somewhat evilly, yes having a proper rival would be fun, it would provide her with a challenge in the practical parts of the classes and it would help them both to improve and she thought they would have fun in the practical portions, however she doubted Harry would be a rival in the theory aspect, the two boys were just lazy when it came to homework and no amount of power was going to change that.

She smiled at her friend, "I think I'm going to enjoy the practical lessons from now on," her eyes had a slightly predatory gleam and Harry shrank back slightly, worried about what those eyes meant for him. But soon the gleam vanished and the pair spent the rest of the lesson competing with each other to get the most interestingly coloured mouse, and earning several points of McGonagall in the process.

It was a highly enjoyable lesson, once he got over his first shock, however by the end nerves were building in him and tying his stomach up in knots. He knew what he had promised Ron and Hermione and although they hadn't mentioned what had happened in potions he could see the concern in their eyes which showed whenever they thought that he wasn't paying attention and he knew that the coming conversation was going to be very unpleasant, not to mention that they had very little homework as it was the first day of lessons so he wasn't even able to delay for very long.

Too soon the lesson ended and the moment he was outside the classroom they cornered him, serious expressions on their faces, "I think we need to talk mate," Ron said quietly. Defeated Harry nodded, he knew he wasn't going to be able to get out of this,

"We're going to Sirius's quarters," he told them, "I...well...I'll tell you, but," he looked down, refusing to meet their eyes, "I need him to be there," and I need to have someone I know won't reject me he added mentally. He offered them a weak smile and slowly started to lead them through the corridors, deliberately delaying the moment when he would have to arrive and face them.

However nobody can procrastinate forever and it wasn't long before they were sitting on the sofas in his godfather's quarter waiting for the animagus to return from his last lesson. They didn't have to wait long before Sirius climbed gracefully through the portrait hole, making his way over to the living area.

Upon seeing the three teens understanding instantly dawned in his eyes and he crossed to Harry's side, sitting down next to his godson and wrapping his arm across the boy's shoulders. He felt Harry lean against him and although he knew the boy had relaxed slightly at his touch, he could still feel the tension in every muscle. He enfolded his godson's hand in his own as he rubbed the boy's knuckles softly and he felt some of the tautness melt away at the soothing touch. "It'll be alright pup," he murmured and he saw Harry glance up at him, nervousness, fear and worry all mixed into the single look. Sirius smiled reassuringly at him before turning to face the other two teens. He knew that they were watching the interaction with narrowed eyes, Hermione especially and he knew that the coming conversation was going to be extremely difficult but they were going to get through it.

"What do you two know or have guessed?" He asked quietly and he felt Harry tense next to him. Tightening his grip he pulled his godson closer, snuggling him against his side as he waited for an answer as he waited for the answer.

Hermione and Ron exchanged glances, then they seemed to come to an understanding and Hermione spoke up, "We know he was neglected by his relatives, he's never said outright but he's told us about having to wear his cousin's old clothes and not getting presents. We also know that he didn't get enough to eat because he's always sent out letters asking for food in the summer."

Ron took over, "We know that he is kept as a virtual prisoner in that house because his relatives," he sneered the word, "don't like magic and they keep his stuff locked up. Me and the twins had to rescue him from his room before second year in the Ford," he paused and Hermione took over, concern in her voice,

"We think that they might have actually abused him," her voice broke over the word abused.

Harry's head snapped up, emerald eyes staring at his friends in disbelief, "You_ knew_?!"

The single exclamation showed both teens that their fears were completely justified but Harry ignored their shocked and upset faces, his thoughts in a whirlwind. They knew, they had guessed and still they hadn't pushed him away. They had accepted him just like his godfather had accepted him, sure they didn't know the extent of what had happened but still, they had guessed his deepest secret and they were still here and they hadn't abandoned him.

Relief swept through him and the tension melted away. He relaxed in Sirius's hold and he felt his godfather loosen his grip slightly although he didn't move away. Even though they knew, he still had to tell them some of what had happened, he owed it to them but the mere thought made him flinch back and he saw concerned grey eyes flash down to meet his own. He smiled shakily and he saw the concern grow, then Sirius reached out his hand, burying it in Harry's hair, softly carding his fingers through the messy mop. The movement soothed him and slowly the fear receded although it was still there.

Finally he allowed himself to look at his friends' faces and he felt his heart sink even further, there was a mixture of determination and sadness in their expressions and he knew that they would not leave the single admission alone, and there was still a hint of hope in their features, almost as if they were hoping that the exclamation did not mean what they thought it did. Harry knew that he didn't want to talk about it but at the same time he had to. He had faced it once, at the trial and in order to get better he would have to face it again, until he could put it firmly behind him. He sucked in a deep breath, pushing his emotions down as far as possible.

He glanced up at Sirius, reassuring himself that his godfather was still there and supporting him. In response he felt Sirius shift position so the man still had one arm wrapped around his shoulders, but was letting Harry sit up properly.

Sighing Harry looked back at Ron and Hermione, neither teen had made a sound since his outburst and he could see that neither wanted to believe it but they were being forced to. As soon as he looked at them he saw Hermione scan his face, reading the truth in his eyes, he watched as she slumped back into the sofa. "It's true, you were abused weren't you?" One look at Harry's face was answer enough and the girl let out a slow breath, "All the signs were there but I didn't want to believe it, I hoped I was wrong, but..." she trailed off and both Ron and Harry snorted although Harry's was quieter.

"You are never wrong Hermione," Ron said exasperatedly, "That's why we cornered him."

At that sentence the brief moment of levity vanished as they were all reminded of the abuse. "What...what did they do to you?" Hermione asked, her voice barely a whisper as she looked at her friend and how he was leaning against his godfather, shadows of pain in his emerald eyes. It was a look no boy that age should ever have and it spoke volumes about the treatment he had received at the hands of his relatives.

"They beat me," Harry's voice was soft but it cut through the room and he saw both his friends stiffen, and he leant against his godfather, taking strength from the man at his side, "Sometimes hard enough to break bones. They starved me. My bedroom was the cupboard under the stairs. I was forced to do chores since I was able to walk." He could see tears well up in Hermione's eyes and Ron was clenching his fists as he continued to speak, "They taunted me about my parents, about me, punished me for doing accidental magic."

Silence fell as he finished speaking and he didn't bother to look at his friend's expressions, instead he glanced up at Sirius, his eyes begging for help. While he had been speaking the memories had flashed before his eyes and regardless of his self control his body had betrayed him and started trembling. He felt his godfather's arms wrap around him and he allowed himself to lean into the comfort, savouring the sensation of being held until his trembling subsided.

"Are you going to be okay?" The question was spoken hesitantly and Harry glanced up briefly, still wrapped in Sirius's arms

"I will be eventually," he answered frankly as he noticed that both teens were hanging on his every word, "I still have flashbacks every now and again and I'm very insecure because of what happened." He admitted and he saw the shock in their features that they tried unsuccessfully to hide. He knew that he had a habit of keeping things to himself and he supposed that spending time with Sirius, with somebody who wanted him and wanted to know about him, he had begun to open up more.

"You had a flashback in potions didn't you?" Harry was not surprised that the question came from Hermione, in the years he had known her and from all their adventures he had learnt that she was always quick on the uptake. He nodded in reply, he wasn't going to go into the legillimency attack with them and the explanation was a convincing one. The next question took him by surprise but he noticed that Sirius seemed completely unsurprised. It puzzled him for a moment before he remembered one of his godfather's stories. The rest of the Marauders had confronted him about his abuse and once they had found out they had done everything they could to help him.

"What can we do to help you?"

The answer was easy, he knew precisely what he wanted, "Don't tell anyone else and treat me as you normally do. I don't want this to affect our relationship in any way and I don't want others to find out," he could see both Hermione and Ron nodding, they would be able to do that, "And," he continued, "If anything happens, flashback or otherwise, I'll come here and I would like you to cover for me if possible, tell people I'm in the hospital wing or something?"

They both nodded and Harry raised his head, looking his friends in the eyes, searching them for any signs of duplicity or any signs that they were not completely sincere. Seeing nothing but resolve and concern he felt the last of his worry leave him, "Thank you," he said quietly, his voice hoarse, "Thank you for not abandoning me."

"You gave us a chance to go back nearly three years ago now mate, we didn't leave you then and we won't do so now."

A true smile blossomed across Harry's features and he felt Sirius loosen his hold, letting Harry sit up once more. He felt a surge of gratitude rush through him, he was so lucky he had Sirius, nobody else would have given him the same sort of support his godfather offered him without even thinking.

He noticed that at his smile some of the tension that had filled his two best friends had evaporated and although there was still a shadow of concern in their eyes he could see that they were trying to do what Harry had asked them to, they were trying to be normal. That sent a pulse of relief through his chest, the revelation had gone far better than he had ever hoped, they had accepted him and they were going to try and stay as normal as possible when they were with him, and maybe they would eventually forget about it, or at least learn to ignore it.

"So how was Transfiguration?" Sirius asked when he saw that none of the three teens really knew what to say next. Evidently it was the right question to ask as Hermione started speaking rapidly, explaining to Sirius precisely what had happened in the lesson. With the distraction the last lingering bits of tension vanished and the conversation started to flow naturally. Sirius's bark like laugh rang out as Hermione described the competition she and Harry had been having,

"James and I used to do that all the time," he said, "Although I have to admit ours were perhaps a little more crazy and had the effect of driving Minnie up the wall." They all laughed at that and the conversation flowed on.

All too soon Hermione announced that they had better head to the library and start on their homework, with a sigh both boys clambered to their feet, groaning half-heartedly as she fussed around them. Harry was the last one to leave and just before he exited the room Sirius caught his eye, "Well done in Transfiguration pup, and I'm proud of what you did this evening," he said quietly, eyes sparkling proudly down at him. Harry grinned shyly in response, the faint hints of a blush staining his cheeks as he felt warmth grow inside him. He had never had anyone who was proud of him before and he knew that wanted to keep this feeling so he would do his best to make his godfather proud. Sirius reached out and enveloped him in a quick hug before stepping back and letting him clamber out of the portrait hole after his friends.

* * *

Sirius waited until he was sure that Harry was far enough away so that he wouldn't hear anything before closing the portrait firmly, throwing up half a dozen privacy and silencing spells for good measure and giving into the anger that had been simmering just below the surface since he had found Harry in his quarters, scared and shivering because of the flashbacks caused by Snape's legilimency attack.

Curses fell from his lips and he felt his magic respond to his anger, rising up, crackling and whipping in the air. It wouldn't cause an outburst of accidental magic but heaven help anyone who disturbed him, or if Snape or Dumbledore came anywhere near him, he was certain that either of those two would push him and his magic beyond what he could endure, and adult or not he was certain that his magic would lash out.

He paced furiously across the room his thoughts whirling around. How dare he, how dare Snape invade his godson's, his child's mind! Not only was that wrong, it had hurt Harry and that was the one thing he would never, ever let go. Harry had been recovering, getting better, finally getting used to having someone who loved him, who he could rely on and with one fell swoop that damned bastard had brought up all the memories of the creatures that had abused his pup and forced him to relive them! His anger roared, flaring with a life of its own as the rage filled every nerve in his body.

Several minutes, curses and broken ornaments and furniture later he had managed to calm down to something approaching rational thought. He would have a reckoning, yes there would be a reckoning and by the end he would make sure that Snape never hurt his pup ever again. And there was the issue of Dumbledore. He had realised that the man was behind Harry's placement at his relatives, even in his mind he sneered the word, and the revelation that the man had known and still done nothing had completely shook his faith in the old wizard. He didn't think that he would ever be able to trust the man again, especially in relation to Harry. He needed answers and he needed them now, but he was already completely sure about one issue. He would never let Dumbledore get anywhere near Harry again and he was going to make completely sure neither Dumbledore nor Snape would ever hurt Harry again.

The question then was what should he do to them? He longed to get the goblins to try them, he would love to see them both get sentenced to the mines or perhaps he should tear them to pieces? Grimacing he shoved the ideas aside, they were nothing more than fantasy and as much as he like the ideas he knew he wouldn't be able to do them anyway and the two men, well Dumbledore really must have _some _small use.

But that still begged the question of what to do? Snape was the easier of the two, a conversation, some threats - using legilimency on a minor without the guardian's consent was illegal and due to his unjust imprisonment the ministry owed him a lot and he was sure they would be able to bring a case against Snape for that offence – and Snape would be dealt with. The real question was what to do about a certain Albus too many names Dumbledore.

As he mulled over the options he came to the regrettable conclusion that he probably shouldn't go up against the man alone. He knew he was rash, that rashness had cost him twelve years and he knew the Dumbledore was very clever and had evidently been manipulating the situation for a long time. He didn't want his temper to get the better of him and for him to do something that he would regret later. He would love to rip the old man's beard out from the roots but he knew that it wouldn't help the situation. He needed help when it came to dealing with Dumbledore and finding a way to make him pay for the hell he had forced his pup to endure and he needed someone he could trust completely. The solution came to him almost instantly. Remus. The old wolf had always been the smartest and the most rational of the Marauders and if anyone was going to be able to help him find a way to trap the slippery old meddler it would be him.

That decided he knew what he was going to do now. He was going to make sure that a certain potions master never hurt his pup ever again.

* * *

Severus Snape rubbed his temples, ever since that blasted boy had thrown him across the classroom with that confounded burst of accidental magic he had been nursing a headache, one that even his best potions could not fix or alleviate in any way.

He hadn't believed Black when he had told them of the boy's accidental magic but after seeing the devastation that had littered his classroom, which he could only presume had been caused by the same backlash of magic that had thrown him across the room he had been forced to come to the conclusion that Black hadn't been exaggerating. It didn't make sense though, why would such a mediocre brat suddenly display such powerful magic?

Snarling under his breath he pushed the thought aside as his mind returned to what he had found in the boy's mind. Potter had occulmency shields and he had to concede that they were strong, they had thrown him out and that was something that only Dumbledore had ever managed to do before. It unnerved him, not to mention the style of occulmency was something he had never encountered or heard of before, he a master of the mind arts had been taken by surprise and by a mere boy no less. Although he would never admit it to anyone it frightened him. What had that brat done that had made his defences so hard to breach?

And then the walls themselves, the raw emotion and the flashes of memory he had seen had caught him off guard, not only by their strength but also of what the flashes had revealed. There was too much hurt, too much pain in the boy's mind for it to be normal and Severus Snape began to think the unthinkable, what if Harry Potter was nothing like his father, what if, instead of a pampered, spoilt, arrogant prince, the boy had been a abused, neglected, unhappy child?

A pounding on the door to his private quarters pulled him out of his thoughts and with a groan he waved his wand to open it and he groaned again as the person he least wanted to see stalked into his office. The irate figure of Sirius Black.

* * *

Sirius took in the form of the potions professor through eyes that were no more than narrowed slits. Silently he threw up the strongest privacy and anti-eavesdropping charms he knew and he smirked slightly as he saw the figure of his most hated childhood enemy jerk upwards as Snape felt the spells wash over him, a faint flicker of fear crossing swiftly across his features. Fear which only intensified when with a quick slash of his wand Sirius had disarmed him.

Snape looked up, his eyes glued to the man in front of him, Black's eyes, normally a light grey had darkened until they were almost black and a shiver ran down the man's spine as he was suddenly, forcefully reminded of the Dark Lord. Black may have been a Gryffindor but the man had been brought up as a Slytherin and had learnt a myriad of Dark Curses and, casting a look at the rage that simmered in those darkening orbs, Severus knew that Black knew precisely what he had done to his godson.

"Explain."

The word was hissed, icily cold and Snape became acutely aware that he was unarmed and Black had his wand pointed straight at his throat. He scrambled for words, looking for an explanations, any sort of reason that would prevent Black's ire from washing over him and destroying him. His brain fumbled for sentences, trying to speak, trying to say anything but as the silence stretched he knew there was nothing he could say, nothing he could do. He had dug himself into a hole and there would be no getting out of it.

Sirius let the silence lengthen, watching with satisfaction as he saw Snape's fear increase. He knew it was unnerving the man and it would only make it worse when he finally confronted him. He waited until the silence was stretched so taut that it had reached breaking point. Then, twirling the man's wand almost idly in his fingers, reminding the potions professor that he held all the power here, he spoke.

"I could have Aurors here within the hour," he said lightly, the forced casualness hiding the layer of menace underneath and he watched as the Slytherin's eyes widened, "After all, using legillimency on a minor without the consent of the guardian is illegal." He watched as Snape's face whitened as the implications hit him,

"The Ministry owe me a favour," Sirius continued, still with the lightness present in his tone but somehow it made the words that he was speaking adopt an even more sinister and threatening overtone, "I'm sure if I brought a case to them, they would bend over backwards to see justice delivered, and I'm sure in this case the verdict would be guilty." There was no colour left in Snape's face but Sirius was not finished, he wanted to make the man suffer, he had hurt Harry and that was a crime that could not go unpunished.

He dropped the light tone and his eyes hardened, his voice falling easily into the snarl of his animagus form, "You hurt my godson," he growled, black eyes flashing dangerously, "And that is not something I will let slide."

He paused for a second, one eyebrow raised as he surveyed the Slytherin, "Why did you do it Snape? Did you find what you wanted?" His tone was volatile, mocking, "Was there any reason or did you just feel you had the right to invade his mind." When the man made no reply anger blazed in his eyes, "ANSWER ME!"

Snape stared at the vengeful Black for several long minutes before his vocal cords finally recovered enough, enabling him to choke out a response, "I wanted to know how bad the abuse was."

Silence fell completely and utterly at that statement and Snape watched, fear rising up inside him as Black's eyes went completely blank before cycling through rage, protectiveness, anger, hatred and a whole other slew of emotions that Severus sincerely hoped never to be on the end of ever again. Looking at the man now he was forcibly reminded just how long the man had spent in Azkaban and the fact that Gryffindor he might have been, Sirius Black had been raised in the darkest family in the British Wizarding World.

"You wanted to know how bad the abuse was," Sirius repeated, disbelief in his tone, but that soon gave way to anger. "You wanted to take information from a child's mind, information that was private, that you had no right to," his voice was rising, getting louder and louder, "You took knowledge that you had been given in confidence and you broke into a child's mind and just to satisfy your curiosity!" He was shouting by the end and as soon as the echoes died away a ringing silence fell. Snape didn't seem to know what to say and Sirius was trying to keep his anger from growing out of control before he did something that he would regret later.

"I had intended to let you go with just threats," Sirius spoke up into the terse silence, "But that admission has stricken any thought of mercy from my mind." His eyes narrowed and he surveyed the potions master, hot rage boiling in his blood. He would do anything to protect his pup and he knew just how much Harry had been hurt and to know that Snape had stooped so low as to have invaded a child's mind when he had been told that they had been abused just to find out how bad it was sent disgust threw him. He hadn't been lying when he said he had intended to let Snape off with just a warning, threats that he had fully intended to carry out if the man had stepped across the line again but now that wouldn't be enough.

He raised both wands, pointing them straight at his enemy's face and the vindictive part of him smirked in cruel satisfaction as he saw the fear in Snape's expression. "I won't hand you over to the Aurors although I would like nothing more than to see you in Azkaban for what you did, I will not sink to your level," His eyes darkened momentarily as he remember the scene in the Shack earlier that year, "And there are more _effective_" his voice curled around the last word, "ways of ensuring you never hurt my godson again that will not tip my hand."

"The one thing you forgot when you attacked Harry is his status in the Wizarding World, and my status and the impact that has as I am his guardian and the rights that affords me in the old laws, in particular the vassal clauses."

The last remaining vestiges of colour left the Slytherin's face. Whilst Snape was a halfblood, his mother had been a pureblood and he was aware of the old laws, in particular that the Ancient Houses had an almost carte blanche when it came to attacks against their Lords and Heirs. If Black invoked the old laws he could do anything he wanted to Severus and it would be completely legal. His mind was racing at a mile per minute, Black had always been the cruellest of the Marauders, he had had a vicious streak, particularly when his friends had been threatened. Potter and Lupin had both had lengths they would not go to, lines they would not cross. Black had never had that and Snape knew that if anything, that trait would only have been magnified by Azkaban.

"As Lord Black, and regarding the actions towards my Heir and Godson Harry James Potter, son in all but blood I hereby call on Magic herself to enact my vengeance."

Magic started to pool in the room at the ritual words. The rituals were ancient and they were the main reason the old families still held so much power, they were the only places where such magic could still be called. Snape's eyes widened at the declaration, he hadn't known the boy was protected so fully and the words had revealed just how deeply Black cared for the child.

"Severus Snape," Black continued to speak, voice layered with magic, "You have wronged my child and in payment I demand this; henceforth you will be bound in servitude to the House of Black and this bond will last until your death."

The magic swirled and Severus felt it reach out and twine around him, hooks sinking invisible barbs into his soul and magical core. He tried to fight it but it was hopeless, Black had called up the old magic and the magic had seen his complaint as valid. There was nothing now, magical or other that would be able to free him. Hatred rose up inside him, hatred mixed with anger, but at the same time there was still a quiet part of him that was angry at himself. He was a Slytherin, a survivor, he had survived at the Dark Lord's right hand and in Dumbledore's camp whilst giving his allegiance to neither and he had never been caught and all for a stupid mistake. He should have withdrawn from the brat's mind when he first encountered shields but he had to let his blindness to James Potter and his pride rule his head and he had pushed on and all that had gotten him was a binding that nothing and nobody would ever break.

He looked up and saw Black regarding him with cold eyes and he felt the first shivers of dread slip down his spine. He was completely at the mercy of the man and he knew just how cruel he could be.

"You will never hurt my godson again," Sirius spoke quietly but his voice was no less penetrating as he gazed at the figure of his childhood enemy, beaten completely. "You will not taunt him, belittle him, attack him, verbally, physically or magically." He paused, allowing the magic to hear the order, "You will not tell anyone of this binding or any of the orders I have given you. You will not harm or conspire to harm Harry, myself or any of our friends."

He could see the hate but also the self loathing and regret in Snape's features as he laid out the orders the man would not be able to ever go against. The magic he had invoked was similar to the ones which bond the house elves, whilst Snape would not be compelled to serve him or punish himself, the man would never be able to go against a direct order. "I am not going to punish you further," Sirius knew he had accomplished what he had set out to do, the man would never hurt his godson ever again and what he had done was completely legal, "But rest assured, if I hear or see anything that suggests that you are working to harm him or me in any way I will not hesitate."

He surveyed the man for a few moments and he was about to turn to leave when one last thought struck him, "As further payment for your crime you will make Wolfsbane, enough for one dose a month until I tell you otherwise." That way he could make sure Snape did something productive, he had never thought he would use the old magic to such an end but it would keep Harry safe from one person who wanted to harm him and he would do anything for his child, even using his power in ways that he abhorred. Casting on last look at the man, he strode out of the room, and he just caught a glimpse of the man slumping, broken, into his chair.

* * *

The next couple of weeks passed without any major incident as Sirius settled into life at Hogwarts. Snape's behaviour had improved drastically and it was obvious that he was not able to disobey Sirius but he was doing the best he could to stay within the vows and still be his normal self. He ignored Harry and his friends as much as possible, scarcely speaking to them and simply marking down their grades when they handed in a potion or an essay.

Sirius knew Hogwarts and Harry in particular had been extremely shocked at the change, so much so that Harry had come to his quarters the first time he had Snape after Sirius had dealt with him, worried that he had done something dangerous and illegal to Snape and that he was going to get into trouble. Sirius had gently reassured his godson, without telling him what he had actually done. He thought he might tell Harry one day but certainly not for quite a long time, he didn't want to expose his pup to the darker side of the old family magic before he had to and he needed to feel comfortable with it before he could think about broaching the subject.

Life was settling down and was quickly falling into a pattern, classes were going well and Harry would come to visit him virtually every day after lessons had finished, accompanied by both Ron and Hermione. After they had got over their initial shock at Harry's treatment they had both proved to be wonderfully supportive. It hadn't been a topic that had ever been broached again whilst they were there but Harry had confided in him one evening after they had left, that they were both acting like nothing had happened, and they were treating him normally, something Harry was exceedingly grateful for.

His godson was coming on wonderfully in classes, he had received glowing reports from all the teachers, bar Snape and Binns, no surprises there, and the release of the binding had done wonders for his magic. Harry usually spent most of the weekend in his quarters, usually staying the night, not because he needed to but because he wanted to and Sirius loved spending time with his pup and watching Harry slowly climb out of his protective shell.

Today however, unease was pulsing strongly in his veins. He had managed to forget about the Tri-wizard Tournament, but today was the day the other schools were arriving and the names would be drawn in tomorrow. He had a bad feeling about the whole affair, that was partially the reason he had got Harry to promise he wasn't going to try to enter but part of him didn't think it was going to be enough. He didn't trust Karkaroff as far as he could throw him and although the presence of Alastor Moody should ensure that nothing happened on that front he still didn't like it.

His eyes scanned the crowded students and he relaxed slightly as he caught sight of his godson, watching the skies in eager anticipation. It warmed his heart to see the boy so happy, but as the large Beaubatons Coach touched down he had to forcibly repress his unease. He had a terrible feeling about this whole ordeal.

* * *

The Great Hall quieted as the feast finished and the Goblet was wheeled out. It was only a few minutes away from selecting the champions and the anticipation that suffused the Hall was palpable. Only a few people seemed to be unaffected by excitement. Glancing up at the High Table, as he had done several times during the meal Harry could see that his godfather was obviously uneasy. He knew Sirius was worried about the tournament, and worried that somehow he was going to end up hurt.

That thought sent a pulse of affection through him, nobody had ever worried about him before, often they had actively wished him harm or they just hadn't cared as long as he kept out of the way and didn't cause trouble. Sirius was different though and Harry couldn't help but feel warmed by the knowledge that somebody cared.

He saw Sirius watching him and he smiled at his godfather, receiving a somewhat strained smile in return. His attention, along with the attention of everybody else in the Hall was distracted in the next second as the room plunged into semi-darkness just as the Goblet's flames turned red and blazed up, sparks flying as the first, single piece of charred paper was spat out.

Stepping forward, Dumbledore caught the parchment gracefully, "The Champion for Durmstrang is Victor Krum." Applause rang out as the boy stood and exited the room.

"The Champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour." A lithe young woman, her beauty striking most of the boys in the Hall speechless climbed gracefully to her feet, following after the Durmstrang Champion. Flames shot from the Goblet for the third and last time and the Hall waited with baited breath as the Headmaster plucked the final singed sheet from the air.

"The Hogwarts Champion is Cedric Diggory!" The hall exploded into noise as the tall Hufflepuff stood and made his way over to the antechamber where all the Champions were congregating. Harry applauded heartly, relief filling him that at least this year he wouldn't be forced to save the school, to do numerous death defying stunts.

But then suddenly, inexplicably flames shot up once more, and all eyes in the hall turned to the Headmaster, who looking as shocked as everyone else, reached out a trembling hand to pull a fourth piece of paper from the air. Harry felt worry take hold of him, and he saw Sirius's face, in the dim light whiten as Dumbledore surveyed the paper, then turned, an expression more solemn than most had seen on his face.

"Harry Potter."

* * *

And here is the next chapter, thanks for all the lovely reviews, please keep them up and I hope you enjoyed this. Snape has got what is coming to him and Dumbledore will be getting his comeuppance, although I will not reveal when., Anyway, Harry is in the tournament and mayhem is about to ensue, so see you soon!


	24. Champion

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 23 – Champion**

"_Harry Potter."_

The two words rang out into the now silence great hall. Harry sat shocked, eyes fixed unseeingly on the figure of the headmaster. It couldn't be true, he hadn't entered, it wasn't possible, it wasn't fair. There had to be some mistake. "Harry Potter," Dumbledore called again but Harry stayed frozen, this couldn't be happening, it wasn't real. All around him murmurs started, a muttering, the noise gradually swelling, a low hum simmering with confusion and anger as people turned to look at him, some rising out of their seats to stare at the boy sitting at the Gryffindor table.

"Harry Potter," his head snapped up, it wasn't Dumbledore who had spoken, instead his godfather's voice had rung out over the Hall. He could see Sirius standing, looking straight at him, disappointment, worry and concern lacing his voice. "Harry, come here," there was a definite sharpness in his godfather's voice and there was no mistaking the words for what they were, an order.

He pushed himself to his feet, wooden legs taking him almost mechanically towards the table. He felt his heart plummet as he took in his godfather's expression and his frantic eyes met Sirius's as he tried to convey that he hadn't done this, he hadn't broken his promise and that he wanted no part in the tournament. He thought he saw his godfather's eyes soften slightly and as he reached the high table Sirius came out to meet him, placing one hand firmly on his shoulder, both reprimanding and comforting. "Go through to the antechamber," he said quietly, but Harry could tell he was trying desperately to keep his voice level, "We'll sort this out." The words seemed to be more for his benefit than Harry's. But Harry, not wanting to upset his godfather any further, merely nodded and walked forward numbly, pushing the door open and stepping through as behind him the Hall erupted.

* * *

Harry was aware that the three Heads of the schools and two Ministry Officials had followed him and Sirius into the antechamber and that they were currently arguing loudly whilst the other three champions were looking on in shock, but the main part of his attention was fixed on his godfather. There was a sharpness and disappointment shown clearly in the animagus's countenance that Harry had never seen before and never wanted to see again and it made his gut twist to know that his godfather was looking at him like that, that Sirius thought he had broken his promise and disobeyed him.

He godfather knelt down in front of him, fingers reaching out and taking a firm hold of his chin, forcing him to look directly at him. "Did you enter the tournament?" He demanded softly, "And you'd do well not to lie to me Harry," there was no mistaking the warning in his voice in the second sentence.

Harry tried to shake his head, but he found Sirius's grip prevented him from doing so. "No Sirius," he said quietly, some of his panic leaking into his voice, "I didn't enter, I swear I didn't, I wouldn't break my promise. I don't want to be in the tournament, I never wanted to." His emerald eyes were fixed on his godfather's grey ones, begging the man to believe him. Sirius regarded him for several more moments, searching his face with his gaze before he nodded, a small smile creeping onto his face, despite the worry and concern etched into his face. Relief rushed through Harry, Sirius believed him and that was what really mattered.

"But of course he is lying," Karkaroff's voice broke into the silence and Harry eyes shot up to see that all the people in the small room had their eyes fixed on him. In one swift moment Sirius was on his feet again, hands coming down to rest on Harry's shoulders protectively. His godfather opened his mouth to speak but Harry beat him to it, "I'm not lying!" He exclaimed furiously, "I want absolutely no part in this bloody tournament and I'm not so insane as to enter!" Several ornaments shattered and the rest of the room's occupants jumped, Sirius however seemed to have been expecting something to happen and the slight tightening of the hands that were still gripping his shoulders were the only indications that he was startled in any way. A few seconds later Harry felt Sirius's thumbs begin to massage the back of his neck lightly, allowing him to calm down and reign in his temper. As he did so he flushed, realising what he had just said in front of all the teachers.

"Harry, I need to you to tell me truthfully, did you enter your name or ask an older student to do so for you?" Dumbledore asked solemnly

"No!" He said vehemently, anger growing up inside him. There were several noises of disbelief from the other adults in the room and Harry could see the other Champions regarding him with a mixture of disdain, curiosity and confusion. Madame Maxine tutted loudly and seemed to want to say something although she appeared to think better of it when she caught a glimpse of Sirius's face, anger, worry and protectiveness stood out clearly and his expression promised pain for anyone who publically doubted Harry's words again. Snape however, had no such restraint

"If I may Headmasters," he interjected, his voice silky, "Potter has a habit of breaking the rules, perhaps Veristasium or a Magical Oath will suffice?"

Sirius was glowering at Snape, it wasn't breaking the rules he had given the man, after all he was not attacking Harry directly, just talking about him nastily but still, it was toeing a dangerous line. Frankly he was surprised the man had dared speak about Harry in his presence but he knew that the Slytherin would do everything to be as antagonistic as possible, whilst still staying within the parameters of his orders. And whilst Sirius knew that he could wrap the Slytherin in so many orders that he would be unable to do anything but the basic necessities of living without his permission but he was loath the do so. By doing that he would be stooping to a level that his father had happily inhabited, a level that was despicable and he was not going to take it that far, he would not be able to live with himself if he did. However that meant he had to put up with the hateful comments and asides the man spouted, but at least he was not able to hurt Harry anymore and he knew that was what was really important.

"Shall I go and fetch the potion?" Snape inquired. Sirius's expression instantly became stony,

"I refuse to give permission," the words snapped out, "Harry shall not be subjected to that vile concoction." The adults in the room were visibly taken aback and Harry glanced up at him, confusion written plainly in his features but Sirius just shook his head, his hands tightening their grip. Although he would have gladly taken the potion if it would have secured his freedom the idea of such a potion near his godson was enough to concern him. Not only was it designed to only be used on people who had passed their magical maturity, it also forced you to reveal information with no preference for you wants or needs, acting in a similar way to the Imperius curse, ideal in an interrogation but with the past Harry had endured he knew it would too easily spread into territory he wanted to avoid.

"A Magical Oath?" Both Karkaroff and Madame Maxine nodded,

"We call for nothing less, if the boy refuses..." Karkaroff let the sentence trail off but the implications were obvious and Sirius gritted his teeth to prevent him from saying something that he would regret later. Ludo Bagman looked uncomfortable but seeing that neither was willing to be swayed turned to Sirius, "Will you give permission for the Magical Oath?" Sirius glanced at Harry and saw nothing but determination in his godson's features, "As soon as I have explained to him what they entail and what the consequences are." Bagman nodded, and Sirius drew Harry aside for a moment, explaining in a low voice what he would have to do. He felt relief at the fact Harry was so obviously telling the truth, he didn't want his godson within a mile of the tasks and he was going to try his damnedest to get the child out of it but at least he was reassured that Harry hadn't lied to him, hadn't broken a promise. That made the awful knowledge just that little easier to bear.

"Ready?" He asked softly and saw Harry nod, determined as he raised his wand.

"I Harry James Potter, swear on my magic that I did not enter my name into the Tri-wizard Tournament or ask an older student to do so for me." The magic flashed, sealing the oath. A quick flick of his wand later, and a lumos lit the room, proving conclusively that Harry was telling the truth.

Sirius felt a fierce satisfaction as he saw the shocked looks on the faces of the Headmasters, Ministry Personal and Snape, they had not believed his godson when Harry had told them the truth and he knew the accusations of lying had hurt his godson. The moment Harry had spoken Sirius had known that Harry was telling him the truth and he had also seen the flash of hurt in his eyes when accusations had continued to be thrown at him. But there were slightly more important issues to be dealt with,

"In light of this evidence I presume he will be withdrawn from the Tournament?" He spoke pleasantly but there was a subtle threat in his words. The Ministry Officials shifted somewhat nervously and he saw Harry glance up at him, worry and relief warring in his eyes. He rubbed the child's shoulder comfortingly and he felt some of his godson's stiffness melt away.

"I am afraid that is not possible Mr Black," Bagman's voice was hesitant and Sirius raised one eyebrow, letting some of his anger shine through onto his features.

"May I remind you Ludo, that my godson is underage, and has proven that he was entered against his will? As Lord Black I say that my godson will not be competing in this death trap of a Tournament!"

"He has to compete," There was a definite quaver in Bagman's voice as he replied. Sirius's eyes narrowed and the presence of Harry was the only thing that prevented him from hexing the incompetent fool. Seeing the threat in Sirius's face and posture, Bagman hurried on, "His name coming out of the Goblet created a binding magical contract; he has to compete or lose his magic. I am afraid he has no choice Lord Black."

Sirius had to bite back a growl that threatened to escape, tightening his hold on Harry protectively. "Be that as if may," he ground out, "I trust that this will not go un-investigated," His eyes swept the cowering Ministry Officials, "After all, a Head of House being bound without their consent is a serious offence." He saw Ludo Bagman blanch but Dumbledore, perhaps unwisely choose that moment to make his voice heard.

"Now then Sirius m'boy, Mr Potter's situation is unfortunate but I don't believe we need to go to such drastic measures, after all there is nothing we can do." Rage flashed in his eyes,

"No need to go to such drastic measures?" He practically hissed, anger at the old meddling fool pulsing strongly inside him, "My son is bound in a tournament that is for of age wizards, while he is still underage and did not enter of his own free will, not to mention it is a tournament which has claimed lives and you say there is no need to investigate!" His voice had risen to a shout and he felt Harry flinch, uncomfortable with all the attention focussed on them, no matter how pleased he was that Sirius was defending him. Sensing this he rubbed his godson's shoulders in a soothing motion, trying to calm him. It worked somewhat but he could feel that the boy was still very tense and he wanted to get Harry out of there as soon as possible.

"Black's right," The gnarled figure of Alastor Moody spoke up, nobody had noticed him before, standing against the wall as he had been, his magical eye scanning the room, making no contribution to the discussion until he stepped forward, his wooden leg clunking against the floor. "This tournament has killed, maybe someone's hoping Potter's going to die in it."

An extremely tense silence followed these words and Sirius wanted nothing more than to pull Harry to him and to never let him go again but he restrained himself, it was the last thing Harry would want him to do in front of all these people and he was not going to embarrass his godson. He would reassure himself Harry was still safe after they returned to his quarters.

"Yes...well," Bagman cleared his throat nervously, "If the Champions could gather round, I have the instructions for the First Task," Harry shot a glance up at his godfather and Sirius nodded reluctantly, indicating that he should listen to Bagman, "The first task is designed to test your daring so we will not be telling you what it involves. It will take place on the 24th of November and you will only be permitted to have your wands. You may not ask for or receive help from any teacher. Any questions?"

There were none and the antechamber quickly emptied. Dumbledore tried to speak to them but Sirius just brushed him off, he was more preoccupied with his godson and he wanted nothing to do with the old fool, his anger was still too strong and Harry would always be his priority, no matter how much he wanted to rage at the man.

* * *

The walk back up to his quarters was quiet and Sirius could tell that Harry's emotions were a complete mess, he didn't say anything and he allowed Sirius to lead him through the corridors, his godfather's arm wrapped around his shoulders, paying scant attention to where they were actually going.

They reached the portrait guarding his quarters and with a muttered password it swung aside, the moment it had closed behind them Sirius pulled Harry into his arms, clutching him tightly. The boy looked up startled, "Sirius?"

"Humour me," the older wizard replied weakly, moving over to the sofa and sinking down into it, his arms still securely wrapped around his godson, tugging the teen onto his lap and tucking the messy black head under his chin. After the first exclamation, Harry made no sound of protest, simply snuggling closer and accepting the comfort.

His mind had finally caught up with the events in of the last few hours, shock and fear pushing their way through the barriers his mind had erected to keep it out. He was suddenly exceedingly grateful that Sirius had sat him on his lap and was holding him with no intention of ever letting him go; the realisation of what had happened was crashing down on him. He had been entered in the Tournament, entered, and forced to compete in an event that was deadly that had killed and was designed for wizards much older than he was.

Fear pulsed through him, he was only fourteen and no matter how much power he had he was still going to be fighting for his life! How was he supposed to do this, how was he supposed to compete without getting hurt or killed? He didn't know and that scared him just as much as the thought of the tasks did, he had been hurt, often quite badly before and he didn't fear pain, no that wasn't it. Rather he feared hurting others, he knew that if anything happened Sirius would blame himself for it and it would hurt his godfather and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Sirius.

The sheer unfairness of the situation presented itself to him. He had never wanted to be part of it, never wanted to risk his life to satisfy the vultures of the Wizarding World and nor did the prize hold any attractions for him. He hadn't even entered himself but yet he was being forced to compete. It just wasn't fair. Why couldn't he ever have a normal year at Hogwarts? Was it too much to ask? Too much to ask to be like everyone else, to just have to worry about Quiddich, homework and getting on the bad side of Flich and Snape, not to have the weight of the world on his shoulder, not to have to worry about risking their lives, not be stared and gawked at because they had a scar on their foreheads! Apparently it was he thought bitterly, he could never be normal, never have a normal life. No he was the bloody Boy-Who-Lived, and such he could never have anything normal, never have any peace, always the hero, always the scapegoat, always the one who had to fight, to get hurt, no matter how much it affected him it didn't matter, he was their saviour after all, he should be begging for that sort of life!

"Shh Harry, shh, it's alright, I'm here, it's going to be alright," the soft, velvet voice of his godfather broke into his thoughts and suddenly he became aware of the hot, angry tears streaking down his cheeks and the fact that Sirius was rocking him gently, his arms holding him in a protective embrace as he tried to get him to calm down.

"It's not fair," he mumbled, the words muffled against the fabric, Harry knew he sounded petulant but he didn't care. Was there anything so bad with wanting to be normal?

"I know pup, I know, if I had my way you would have been out of that blasted thing faster than you could blink," Sirius's voice soothed him but it did nothing to stop the frustration that was pouring out of him, finding an outlet for once in his life.

"I just want to be normal," he said quietly and he felt the arms holding him tense, "Is it too much to ask to be able to have a normal year at Hogwarts for once?" He felt Sirius sigh, and his godfather's voice was slightly croaky when he replied,

"I'm sorry Harry, if I could make it better I would but..." his voice trailed away and Harry looked up, green eyes snapping to Sirius's grey ones. He had never blamed his godfather for what he had had to go through in his life and he knew that Sirius had nothing to be sorry for. His godfather had given him something more precious than anything he had ever had before; he had given him a home and a family. If anything, Sirius had made his life so much better, he had given him more than he could have ever asked for.

"Don't apologise," he said fiercely, "You have no reason to be sorry!" He wrapped his arms around his godfather and held on tightly, trying to show how much he loved his godfather, the same way Sirius had done for him so often. He saw the animagus smile as he returned the embrace with one just as fierce.

"Maybe, maybe not but regardless, I promise you Harry, that I will do everything in my power to help you, I will not let you face this alone," Sirius murmured into Harry's hair and the boy burrowed deeper into the embrace hearing how heartfelt the words were. It meant so much to him that he was not going to have to do this alone, like he had done so often, he would have help, not just from his friends but from an adult, and this was an adult he trusted with his life. It made the whole situation feel just that little bit better and the fear receded somewhat, if Sirius was helping him, he thought he would be able to do this, and at the very least it didn't seem as bleak a situation as it had done only a few minutes ago.

After a few moments Harry let go, shifting back slightly. He was still sitting on Sirius's lap, unlike most teenagers he was perfectly happy to take any affection Sirius was willing to give him and he would stay there, just drinking in the love that surrounded him until his godfather indicated that he wanted him to move. So far Sirius had been more than willing to have him stay there, in fact it seemed like the animagus wanted to hold him tightly and never let him go again.

They sat quietly for several more moments, slowly processing what had happened and coming to terms with it, but suddenly something Harry had said caught Sirius's attention, "Pup," he asked, shaking the boy's shoulder lightly to get his attention, "What did you mean when you asked if you could have a normal year at Hogwarts?" There was a tendril of worry worming its way into his gut. Something about that sentence rang slightly wrong in his ears. He had always assumed that his godson was safe at Hogwarts, but that sentence was enough to put him on guard. What had happened to make Harry wish for a normal year?

He saw Harry looking at him with a mixture of apprehension and embarrassment and that only solidified his suspicions. Something had happened in the years he didn't know about, something important. "Harry," he said, hints of a warning lacing his tone, "Is there anything about your first two years that I should know about?" When Harry paused, he pressed on, still gently but there was an undertone to his voice that indicated that he wanted answers, "What happened to make you wish for a normal year pup?"

Harry didn't know what to say, he had got into so many different death defying adventures over the course of his previous years at Hogwarts, and he had nearly died several times over and he supposed he had always thought Sirius knew but looking at that belief now it felt silly. But it didn't change the fact that he didn't know what to say. He knew Sirius cared for him, loved him even and would be hurt and upset if he found out what Harry had done, and Harry didn't want to be the cause of that pain, to hurt the man anymore than him being entered in the tournament had already done but at the same time he knew that if he didn't, he would be lying to his godfather and that was something he never wanted to do.

The other part was the events themselves. He had never wanted to go charging into danger, all he had wanted was to make friends, escape from the Dursleys and learn about magic but every year it had always come to the point where he felt that he had to do something, had to go charging into the rescue, and he had done it gladly. He would have hated himself if he had done nothing and people had then suffered because of it but at the same time it didn't stop the resentment that he had been the one who had had to do it, not Dumbledore, not the teachers but him.

He supposed that over the summer, staying with Sirius, he had gradually started to learn that he was not the person who was supposed to be doing the protecting, he was the one who deserved to be protected. And, armed with that realisation he realised just how bad his Hogwarts years had been, he should never have had to end up in those positions, although admittedly the Philosopher Stone confrontation had been partially his fault but the traps should have been better, heck the stone shouldn't have been in Hogwarts at all. And with that thought in mind he realised just how badly Sirius was likely to react but at the same time he discovered that he wanted his godfather to know, he wanted to be able to tell him anything and everything and that involved his school years but still, he didn't want Sirius to blame him, didn't want him to get angry at him.

He looked up at Sirius for a moment then he dropped his gaze, "I didn't mean for anything to happen," he said quietly and Sirius heard the childishness and vulnerability in that sentence, "I never wanted any of it, if just sort of happened," he glanced up at his godfather, emerald eyes pleading for him to understand. He looked so young in that moment that Sirius pulled him straight back into his arms, nestling the boy against his chest and he felt Harry lean into the embrace, but he knew he still needed to understand, "What happened Harry?" he asked softly and Harry started to speak, not raising his head from its position resting against his chest.

Sirius listened attentively, his horror growing with every word, his godson had fought a troll, confronted and fought with Voldemort, twice, and that was only his first year! What had Dumbledore been thinking, to hide such a valuable item as the Philosophers Stone in a school full of children. To have such a powerful item was simply an invitation to attack! And, he thought darkly, that is exactly what had happened, Voldemort had come looking for it, and in the process he had virtually killed Harry! He swallowed hard and automatically pulled the child closer, the realisation that his pup might not have been alive when he broke out settling like ice into his veins.

"What about second year?" he asked, his voice cracking.

When he felt Harry wrap one of his own arms around him, attempting to comfort him, he knew that the coming story was going to be extremely hard to hear. He was not disappointed, the dangers Harry had been in that year were staggering. His twelve year old godson had faced down a Basilisk, and the spirit of Voldemort, armed only with a sword and he had been bitten! His precious, precious godson had only been seconds away from death, had been dying, and he had never known about it.

Sirius let out a strangled sob, caught halfway between terrible fear and overwhelming relief. He pressed Harry closer to his chest and held him protectively, trying to reassure himself that Harry was here, was safe, that he had not died and was secure in his arms. Harry didn't protest and for one moment Sirius wondered why before he pushed those thoughts away, it didn't matter why Harry wasn't protesting, it mattered that the child was safe, here in his arms where he could protect him and that he had survived, and that he was here now and he would do his damnedest to ensure Harry was not hurt again.

Gradually he calmed down, he was still angry and worried, but he could think rationally now and he knew he would have to consider the revelations that had occurred to him during Harry's narration later. Glancing at the clock, he suddenly realised just how late it actually was, he smiled down at his godson, who still had yet to move from his lap, "Bed pup," Harry nodded, clambering off his lap and sending a questioning glance at the portrait hole, "Stay here tonight," Sirius told him, "I'd prefer it if you did, it's a long time past curfew anyway and I think it would probably be easier for you if you did." Harry raised an eyebrow in a silent query, prompting him to elaborate, "Everyone is probably waiting for you in Gryffindor Tower, either to shout at you or have a huge party, neither of which I think you'd enjoy at the moment, correct?"

Harry nodded vehemently, the last thing he wanted just now was attention. He smiled at his godfather's thoughtfulness, he would have stayed here anyway, but for Sirius to consider what he would want and then suggest it, despite all the shocks the man had received, he still tried to think of Harry. "Thank you," he said quietly, but meaning every single bit of it. He wasn't just thanking his godfather for thinking about what he wanted but also for promising to help him, comforting him, for being everything he needed and wanted in a godfather, in a parent, a father.

He saw Sirius smile tenderly in response, "Go to bed Harry," he said softly, and then he rose and came to Harry, resting his hands on his shoulders, "I will always be here for you, no matter what and, thank you, for talking to me." He smiled again and pushed Harry lightly in the direction of his bedroom.

Harry turned and was virtually at his door when suddenly something rose in his mind, something Sirius had said in the antechamber.

"You called me your son," the words were soft, barely audible but still Sirius heard.

His godfather stepped towards him, a gentle expression on his face, "Yes I did," he replied just as softly, the look in his eyes unreadable due to the storm of emotions Harry could see blazing out at him.

Harry bit his lip, unsure suddenly of what to say. All his childhood he had longed for a parent, and over the last months he had come to regard Sirius as the father he had never been able to have but now his godfather had actually said that he thought of him as a son he didn't know how to respond. And there were other thoughts beating around in his head, did his godfather actually mean that, did Sirius really want him as a son or was it not going to last? Not to mention this was something he wanted so badly, he had longed for; he didn't want to do anything to muck this up. Sirius was the only person he could ever imagine, or want taking the role of father in his life, privately it was already the position he had taken in Harry's mind but to know that Sirius felt the same way was more than he could have hoped for even a few short months prior.

"Did you...I mean,...do you..." he was fumbling for words, not sure of how to voice what he wanted to say, not even sure of what he wanted to say, but knowing he had to say something.

In one swift movement he was enfolded in Sirius's strong arms, "I meant every word," the animagus said softly, "I think of you as my own." Harry couldn't stop the grin that spread across his features, nor the joy that bubbled up inside him and neither did he want to.

"I want to be your son too," he whispered, "You are the only father I can remember."

Sirius smiled, although there was a hint of bitterness in it, if it wasn't for his stupid mistakes Harry would have James and wouldn't need him as a father. He pushed the hurt away, that was something he would never share with Harry and he was overjoyed that his pup trusted him and loved him enough to want him as a father and he couldn't deny that he did think of the boy as his own and he would gladly take the role of father in his life. He paused for a moment considering his next words carefully, he loved Harry more than his own life and he could see just how much the boy longed for a family, and if he was honest with himself, he knew there was nothing he wanted more than to have Harry as his own, for his godson to become his son.

"If you would like to Harry, and only if you want this, I could adopt you." Harry's head snapped up, green eyes boring into his. "There is a potion that would allow you to become my son, Lily and James would still be your parents," he added on hurriedly, "But I would also be your real father too."

Harry's eyes were wide, "You would actually adopt me?" He asked, the whisper cracking with disbelief.

"I would do anything for you Harry, and I would be glad to adopt you." His godson's eyes grew even wider at that sentence then he threw himself at Sirius, burrowing into his embrace and burying his face in his robes. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," he chanted through the tears that were streaking down his cheeks. Sirius stroked his back with one gentle hand,

"I can't do it immediately, the potion will take several weeks to prepare at least, and it isn't practical to do during term time but I can probably manage it over Christmas if you help me with it."

Harry looked up, eyes shining with a strange mixture of joy and unshed tears, "You would become my father, my real father?" He checked, hope blazing brightly in his face.

"And you would become my son," Sirius reassured him tenderly, leaning down to kiss the child's forehead, "My real son, as well as James's and Lily's, you'd have three parents." Harry just gazed at him for several long moments, completely and utterly speechless for the very first time in his life. Nothing so wonderful had ever happened to him before in his life, not even Sirius rescuing him from the Dursleys, not the first time Sirius had told him that he was loved, not the time he had discovered he was a wizard, no none of these would ever hold a candle to the joy that was pulsing through him. He buried himself in Sirius's embrace, clinging to the older man, "Thank you," he murmured, the words were so small, so insignificant when compared to the elation, the love and the complete and utter gratitude that was filling him but Sirius, his godfather and soon to be his father understood.

No words were needed, he just held the boy tighter, and he felt Harry burrow deeper in response. They stood like that for several moments until Sirius, rather regretfully, released Harry and pushed him lightly in the direction of his bedroom. "Sleep well pup," his eyes locked onto Harry's, suddenly very serious, "And don't forget that no matter what happens with the Tournament, no matter what the reaction to you being selected is, I will be here for you every step of the way and that you will always be welcome here." Harry smiled up at him, the brightness only dimmed slightly by the mention of the tournament, and Sirius knew that his godson would go to sleep happily tonight, despite the tournament, as he processed what Sirius had offered him and what he had accepted.

But on his part Sirius knew he would get very little rest, even though he was thrilled by the prospect of the adoption his mind couldn't help but return to the tournament. No matter how hard he tried, his pup had still ended up in that death trap, but he swore to himself that he would not let Harry get hurt by it, and no matter what that meddling old fool tried to pull, he would make sure that this got investigated and that it would never be able to happen again. Sometimes there were perks to being Lord Black, something he would never have considered before the start of the summer.

* * *

The following morning saw the imposing figure of Sirius Black, Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black stride through the atrium of the Ministry of Magic as if he owned it. Witches and Wizards, Ministry workers and the public alike all stopped to stare as he stalked through the halls in a manner reminiscent of a certain Hogwarts Potions Professor, his anger parting the crowds before him, almost as if it were alive.

It was remarkable luck, Sirius thought darkly, barely noticing as the people scattering like startled mice after just one look at his face, that the draw for the Tournament happened to be on a Saturday night, meaning that he had no classes to teach the following morning, enabling him to make his displeasure clear in the not so hallowed halls of the Ministry of Magic.

His feet carried him to the office of the Minister of Magic and for the first time he entered the building he paused, surveying the unfortunate secretary with a look that showed people precisely why they had so easily believed him to be a mass murderer. "I trust the Minister is available to see me right now?" He asked, almost too pleasantly.

The witch glanced up, prepared to refuse him access when she caught sight of his formal robes, baring the Crest of House Black in splendour on the front. She gulped audibly and Sirius watched as her eyes travelled upwards to his face, and she paled as she realised precisely whom she was speaking with. "I'm afraid the Minister is otherwise occupied at the moment," she said bravely and for a fleeting moment he wondered if she had been a Gryffindor, he knew there were very few people who could face him when he let his anger show.

Sirius smiled, letting his teeth show. However this was a far cry from the kind smiles he often directed in his godson's direction, this was the smile of a predator seeking prey. "I'm sure it isn't so important that it couldn't be postponed, after all, with their saviour trapped in a deadly contest by our own Ministry no less, I'm sure that the public are feeling very well disposed towards the Ministry right now," he suggested and he saw her face blanch further.

"I...I will go and speak to the Minister right now," she said hurriedly, "I'm sure he will be with you in just a few moments."

She hurried into the office and from behind the closed door Sirius heard a strangled exclamation, and the sound of a tea cup crashing to the floor. Inwardly he smirked, although amusement he got from the situation was scant, his anger and worry were far too strong. He enjoyed any opportunity to show them up, particularly after his history with the incompetent buffoons, but he would never trade that enjoyment for his godson's safety and the matter he had come to shout at the minister about was anything but funny. He was going to get to the bottom of this as soon as he could, and he would not settle for anything less than a full and through investigation, and Merlin help those who got in his way.

The secretary exited the room mere moments later, "The Minister will see you immediately Lord Black," she said. Sirius favoured her with the merest hint of a smile,

"I rather thought he would." The witch said nothing as he swept into the room to deal with a pompous ass of a Minister.

Fudge was seated behind his desk, he had the faint air of a man who was surprised and completely out of his depth but he was still trying to convey the impression that he was somehow in charge. Sirius let a hint of his anger cloud his features and he saw the man flinch, "What do I owe the pleasure to Lord Black," there was a definite hint of a tremble in his voice but Sirius did not pause.

"I wish to know why my godson is bond in a life threatening tournament by a ministry object," he all but growled.

Fudge turned a pasty white, "The Goblet would only pick those who entered," he stammered out, "The boy must have cheated, Lord Black." His eyes narrowed almost into slits,

"My godson took a magical oath in the presence of witness, including Ministry Officials and the Headmasters of the three schools, swearing that he had not entered. Now I will ask again, why he, a minor is and an Ancient and Noble Lord and Heir, is bound in a tournament against his and my wishes!"

Fudge opened and closed his mouth several times, before managing to squeak out, "Preposterous, the ministry would not be responsible for something of that nature."

Sirius slammed his hand down onto the table and the man jumped at the unexpected sound, "It has already happened imbecile," he hissed, "My Godson, Lord Harry James Potter, Lord of House Potter and ward and godson of Lord Black," he was puling rank, but he knew that, out of everything he had, it was the threat of rank and power that would sway the man into line, "Was of last night entered into the Triwizard Tournament but the Goblet of Fire and bound against his and my will, despite swearing a magical oath which proved he did not enter." The man's eyes widened but Sirius was not finished, "As you are unable to give me any satisfactory answers as to how this travesty was allowed to occur, I am lodging a complaint and I demand an investigation begin immediately."

Fudge managed to rally the last bit of nerve he possessed, "Of course Lord Black, I will personally commission an investigation to ensure the truth is brought to light."

Sirius surveyed the man for one long moment and watched as he squirmed beneath his gaze, "Make sure you do," he said finally, "I'm sure the Wizengamot will eagerly anticipate the results, after all the idea of a Lord being bound without their consent is...unsettling...to say the least."

The minister quickly picked up on the implicit threat in the words, Sirius was right in his statement that the pureblood factions, particularly the older ones that kept the man in power would dislike the idea that the ministry could bind them. They valued their independence and would protect it fiercely; if this issue was not thoroughly investigated and prevented from ever occurring again an outcry, one that would be expensive for those in power would soon follow and if Cornelius Fudge was anything, he was desperate to cling onto his position.

Sirius waited for one more moment before nodding decisively and turning on his heel and stalking out of the room. He had one more place he needed to visit before he got back to Hogwarts but that would be easy enough to deal with, and hopefully it would pile the pressure on both the idiot they called Minister and a manipulative old fool by the name of Albus Dumbledore.

* * *

"So," Harry chewed on his lip as he wondered what to say. He hadn't spoken to anyone but Sirius after he had left the antechamber the previous night, and in a way that had made it easier, especially at the time but it meant that now it was harder to know where to begin. Ron and Hermione both watched him, shadows of something on Ron's face but he couldn't quite identify what it was, he pushed it out of his mind, focussing on what he had to say. Finally he had it, and he wondered why it had not occurred to him before.

"I didn't enter the tournament," he said hurriedly, "They didn't believe me and made me swear a vow and I did, but the Goblet bound me, I have to compete. Sirius wasn't very happy about it," he added as an afterthought. Not happy was an understatement, he had hardly ever seen his godfather that angry and though he had pushed it away in order to comfort him, Harry knew that he had only postponed it, and that he was already heading to the ministry to give them hell.

Hermione and Ron nodded, "I knew you wouldn't have entered," she said quietly, "Keeping your word meant more to you than 'eternal glory' or something equally useless, and any fool," she sent a rather fierce glare at Ron who had the grace to look sheepish, "could tell that you didn't want it by just one look at your face." Harry smiled in relief and turned towards Ron, worry growing as he saw the shadows dominating his friend's face.

"I was a prat last night," Ron said eventually, "I thought you'd entered and I was, well to put it bluntly,"

"You were a jealous wreck," Hermione interjected pointedly and it was a mark of how sincere and guilty Ron was feeling that he didn't even attempt to deny the accusation, "Yeah I was, but Fred, George, Neville and Hermione sort of chewed me out, they might have shouted at me for a bit," at Hermione's look he shifted uncomfortably, "Well maybe quite a lot, but anyway, what I was going to say is that they made me realise that you didn't enter and didn't want this, and I'm sorry I didn't believe you at first and for being..."

"A humongous prat, almost as bad as Perfect Percy and a disgrace to the name of Weasley," Fred interjected, the twins having just come round the corner, catching the end of the conversation,

"Hey Harry, anytime you want this prat of a brother pranked ask away," George added, and Ron made a noise of protest but didn't say anything. The two trouble makers looked at the trio for a moment before turning to Harry,

"Say Harry old chum..."

"You wouldn't happen to know..."

"Why a certain Professor Black..."

"Was striding down the corridors..."

"Heading towards the Great Hall..."

"With a glare to rival Snape's..."

"Now would you?"

Harry rubbed his forehead with one hand, he never thought he would manage to get used to their twin-speak. Finally pulling together the sense of the sentences a slightly evil grin crossed his face. "Sirius is rather angry about the tournament, and I think if we hurried to the Great Hall, we might just see him shouting at some unfortunate officials." He neglected to mention that he was nearly as angry as his godfather and now that the shock of both the event and the joy surrounding the upcoming adoption had worn off slightly, he couldn't deny that the unjust angle of the situation had presented itself rather loudly again.

He wasn't usually a vindictive person but there was a rather large part of him at the moment that wanted somebody, whoever was responsible to pay for the situation he found himself in. He never wanted any of his fame and he never wanted anything to be done to him against him will, but it seemed that nobody, apart from Sirius and his close friends, was ever bothered about what he wanted, what he was feeling.

They reached the Great Hall and as soon as they entered silence fell and heads swivelled to stare at Harry. He bit down on his lip, hard, to prevent him from giving into his anger and yelling at everyone in the room, telling them to mind their own bloody business. His eyes strayed to the High Table and he saw the stony countenance of his godfather; catching his gaze, Sirius sent a smile in his direction and his features softened but the moment his eyes fell on the Ministry Officials and Dumbledore they hardened once again. Harry couldn't help but relax slightly, even though Sirius was angry he knew the man was angry of his behalf and none of it was directed at him.

"Good Morning to everyone, and after the events of last night I am pleased to announce all four of our champions will be competing for this hallowed prize,"

Sirius's eyes narrowed as he heard Dumbledore and as the man sat down, the anger that had been simmering under the surface for the last several hours bubbled over. "Is that it?" he hissed, a dangerous edge in his voice, "No mention of the fact that Harry wants no part in this, didn't enter and is being forced to compete?"

"Now then Sirius, I do not believe that is necessary, I'm sure nobody minds after all." Sirius growled deep in his throat then turned his fierce gaze on the Ministry Official who gulped before nodding as he received the message. The man tapped on his goblet, catching the attention of the hall,

"In response to the events of last night, the Ministry would like to announce that it was proven that Mr Potter was not entered of his own volition and an investigation has been launched, but due to the nature of the Tournament he has to compete."

A rush of whispers broke out and Sirius could see many students, particularly the Hufflepuffs looking much more friendly towards his godson all of a sudden and the animosity in the hall dropped considerably. Sirius resisted the urge to snort, and the old fool hadn't thought any words were necessary had he?

Speaking of the old fool, Dumbledore was looking at him, disappointment written large on his face, "Now Sirius, that wasn't really necessary..." he started to say but Sirius cut him off, and the anger in his voice was enough to silence the Hall.

"Enough of this Albus!" His voice was deadly and there was no regret or indecision in his eyes as he looked straight at the Headmaster, "I believe it is time we talked."

* * *

Apologies for the late update, but sixth form has got started in earnest now and I've got piles of work, so from now on I will update fornightly. Anyways, hope the length made up for the wait, hope you enjoyed it, thanks for all the reviews and please leave more thanks! :)


	25. Confrontations and Discoveries

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. Anything you recognised from GOF belongs to her. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 24 – Confrontations and Discoveries**

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and a disappointed expression crossed his features. He started to speak, prepared to try and diffuse the situation but Sirius cut across him, the anger still simmering in his voice. "Your office or mine?" He asked bluntly. Although the hall was silent, their attention riveted on the sight of the DADA professor not quite shouting at the headmaster, Sirius knew he didn't want to have the confrontation here.

He had briefly entertained the notion of chewing Dumbledore out in front of the entire hall, particularly after the comments he had made in front of all the students but he knew that would not be a good idea. Many of the issues he wanted to yell at the man for, or demand answers to were things that neither he or Harry ever wanted to become public knowledge and issues he knew that if revealed would hurt his child and he was not willing to do anything that would hurt his godson.

Dumbledore surveyed his features for several moments and he was disquieted by what he saw there. Anger was burning fiercely in Black's features but it was not the harsh judgmental anger he had seen on the young man's face in his Hogwarts days, no this anger was far more dangerous. It was not anger on his behalf, instead it was the fierce, protective anger that a parent feels whenever their child is threatened, anger against those who had hurt them, rage against the injustice perpetrated against their child. It was an anger motivated by love and as such it was the most powerful. He knew that there would be no reasoning with Black whilst he was still in this fey mood and the safest solution would be to go to his office and to let the man vent his anger before attempting to shed some reason on the situation.

"My office, I think, provided that is alright with you Sirius?" He tried to keep his voice pleasant but his only answer was a curt nod, before Sirius clambered to his feet and strode out of the hall, only pausing once when he reached his godson, to lay a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder and murmur something, presumably some form of explanation or reassurance and as he saw the boy relax slightly he couldn't help but wonder at Potter's attitude around Black.

In all his years at Hogwarts he had never seen the child so comfortable around an adult and he could clearly see how close godfather and godson were. He wondered how the man had managed to gain the boy's trust so quickly, as it was obvious that the child trusted his godfather absolutely just as it was plain to see the gentleness with which Sirius handled Harry. Dumbledore couldn't help but be impressed, in all the years Harry had been at Hogwarts he had never shown an inkling of any sort of meaningful trust towards the professors, the only exception being Professor Lupin, who in a single year had got closer to the boy than any other, but still, that relationship couldn't light a candle to the relationship between the boy and his godfather.

For a brief moment he wondered if the boy's behaviour had anything to do with his home life, the situation had not been ideal after all, and he had certainly been neglected. Was Harry's behaviour the result of gaining a loving guardian after a lifetime of neglect? Perhaps, perhaps not, it pained him to admit it but he knew that he could not compete with Sirius when it came to the child's affections, he had hoped that the boy would trust him by now, but looking at the light shining in the boy's face as he spoke to his godfather he knew it was a lost cause, he would never be able to compete with Sirius Black.

That could pose a problem though, in order to manipulate the boy effectively, for the good of the wizarding world, he needed the boy to trust him but it was obvious he didn't, and neither did Sirius and he knew the child would follow his guardian in this matter. He sighed as he got to his feet and headed out of the room after the irate Black. For the Greater Good it was imperative that he sorted this situation out as soon as possible.

* * *

Sirius paced back and forth in the lushly furnished office, his moments betraying his anger as he waited for Dumbledore to arrive. This conversation was overdue and there were many issues he needed to raise with the senile old fool but he would have to tread carefully. He fully intended to make his anger clear but he was not going to move against the man yet, that could wait until after Christmas, it could wait until Remus and he had a water tight plan for dealing with the man.

He was aware that Dumbledore was manipulating the situation, manipulating Harry's life, probably in response to the same information that had prompted Lily and James to go into hiding. He was sure that the man was trying to achieve a good outcome but he was becoming increasingly suspicious that this outcome was probably based off Harry in some way, or that his plan involved his pup in some sort of crucial role. And that was something he wasn't going to let happen. He wanted Voldemort defeated and he was going to try his damnedest to ensure that came about, but he was not going to force Harry to take centre stage in some sort of misguided plan to save the Wizarding World, to the contrary he was going to try his hardest to ensure that his godson would be kept as far away from the fight as possible.

That was one of the main reasons that he intended to wait until after Christmas to confront the Headmaster properly. By then he would have blood-adopted Harry and his pup would be his own child by blood and blood counted for a lot in the Wizarding World. Once Harry was his, nothing and nobody would ever be able to take him away from him until he died, then and only then would it be safe to move against Dumbledore. Harry would be beyond his reach completely and utterly and he would be where Sirius could keep him as safe as possible.

He knew that Dumbledore was only doing it for the best and he knew that Harry was always going to be a target, but that didn't stop the anger that bubbled up inside him. Harry was his child and woe betide anyone who tried to harm him in anyway. He would protect his godson to the death and he would not allow anyone to hurt him. That was why the anger was so strong, someone had, despite everything he had done, all the precautions that he and others had taken, Harry had still been entered in that godforsaken tournament, was still going to be threatened and hurt and there was nothing he could do to get him out of it, all he could do was train him and help him as much as he could and then hope that it would be enough.

And then Dumbledore! For the man to sit there and deny that anything was wrong, deny that something had occurred, that his son was being forced to compete against his will, had been the last straw. His anger against the old man was strong, there was the issue of the Dursleys, why had Harry been placed there, why had the signs of abuse been missed, if he could spot them in a mere hour, surely the Hogwarts staff who had interacted with him on a daily basis for several years should have spotted it! Not only that, but at the beginning of term he realised that Dumbledore had known, known and forced his child back into an abusive home year after year. And then the adventures, all the dangerous situations that Harry had been in and never should have had to have been in, there were so many questions when it came to his Hogwarts years, and then the fact that he hadn't known about his heritage, it had been kept from Harry.

So many things, too many, and all pointing in one direction. Dumbledore.

His anger was strong, almost bordering on rage but he knew this was not the time to take Dumbledore down and deal with him, rather, he wanted answers, or at least some of the answers. Realistically, he knew that without Harry out of Dumbledore's influence and without a way to threaten the man safely, and that wouldn't be safe until Harry was beyond his reach, he was unlikely to get all the answers he wanted. But he was going to try, and even if he didn't get all the answers he'd be damned if he didn't make the man think.

* * *

"Dumbledore," the word was short, clipped, the barest of acknowledgements as the aged wizard finally made his way into the office, settling himself into the stuffed armchair and steepleing his fingers together as he surveyed Sirius with what many would call a grandfatherly look. "Sirius," the man responded, his voice soft and calming but Sirius just shrugged it aside. He didn't have time for Dumbledore's games at the moment, he was after answers and no amount of gentle persuasion and no matter how calming the Headmaster was trying to be, Sirius was not going to leave this room without them.

The older wizard peered over his half-moon spectacles, looking at Sirius contemplatively, his calm face showing no signs that anything might be wrong. Sirius had to forcefully swallow down the anger that rose in him, he couldn't blow up, not completely at any rate but it did not help his temper to see the man looking as unconcerned as he had ever seen him, when his godson was trapped in a deadly tournament, fighting for his life.

"How in Merlin's name can you sit there and pretend that there is nothing wrong?" he hissed, his frustration and anger finally reaching their boiling point.

Dumbledore merely leaned forward, eyes twinkling, he thought he knew what Sirius was angry about but he really couldn't see why the man was getting so worked up about it. Yes it was regrettable that the boy was in this situation but it didn't really matter, there was nothing that could be done and there was no reason to get worked up about it. Frankly, it would be a good opportunity to test the lad, it hadn't been his original plan, but his plans had a way of changing when they encountered Harry and he couldn't deny, that with Black's presence to ensure the boy was not harmed too severely, it was almost a golden opportunity to see how he would fare against more experienced opponents. However, the anger he could see and feel bleeding into the room was enough to make him consider his words carefully as he replied.

"The situation with Harry is regrettable, but we must make the best of a bad situation and ensure that the child is as prepared as possible." He tried to make his words as calming as possible but if anything they had the opposite effect.

"Regrettable?" Black growled, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side, "Regrettable that a young boy is entered into the tournament against his will, regrettable that he was being shunned by his peers for being entered," his voice was rising, and Dumbledore could feel magic whipping around in the air, "Regrettable that my _son _will be fighting for his _life_, regrettable that..."

He broke off, his chest heaving and his breathing erratic, turning away slightly, trying to regain control over his emotions. When he turned back the fire in his eyes made Dumbledore pause and he would have taken a step backwards if he had been standing.

"You don't see it as anything else do you?" It was the tone in his voice that caused the Headmaster to start to think, the sheer unadulterated pain and fury that was conveyed in those few syllables, "You never stopped to think that it might be serious, that there might be something wrong, that Harry might be hurt, might not want this. No, it is just regrettable," Sirius sneered the word, "Looking at you now, it is easy to see that you do not care at all!"

Those words stung Dumbledore more than he would ever admit. He had to do things for the greater good but that never meant that he did not care! Quite the contrary, he cared deeply, every death, every injury weighed on his soul but he had to make the sacrifice, sometimes he had to choose, but he never stopped caring, only he pushed it away, because if he didn't he would never be able to make a sacrifice again, and if he didn't then the whole Wizarding World would be doomed.

He straightened, his eyes flashing, "I care deeply," he retorted, his voice agate hard, "I care for every one of my students and Harry more than any other!" But Sirius was not cowed in any way by his anger.

"Then show it!" He cried, eyes blazing.

"If you really do care why did you ever allow Harry to be selected in the first place, why did you not set the fears and rumours to rest, why wasn't an investigation needed, and why, why did you ever place him with abusive muggles!"

The shouts fell, ringing, into the tense silence that enveloped the room. Sirius could see that Dumbledore's face was strained and there was an unreadable expression on his features as he took in Sirius's accusations.

"There is no greater love than that of the parent for their child," Dumbledore murmured, not really intending for his words to be heard, but Sirius's sharp ears caught them and his spine stiffened as he straightened.

"Then tell me why!" He demanded, "Tell me why my child is trapped in this tournament and tell me why you sent him back to his relatives when you knew they were abusing him!"

Dumbledore peered over his half moon spectacles, looking closely at the man in front of him. He had not failed to notice what Sirius had called Harry. He was not sure if it was intentional or not, but he had heard it last night and again just now, Sirius was referring to his godson as his son and his child. Last night he had passed it off as a slip of the tongue but listening to Sirius now, and hearing the passion in his voice as he spoke, he was left in no doubt that the man really did consider the boy to be his own child. All that was left to wonder was whether Harry considered his godfather to be his father, and whether Sirius had legally adopted Harry yet.

But regardless, he could see the burning love that Sirius had for his godson and he knew that even without this, Black was extremely determined and he would not leave his office without some answers, and he had to admit that he had messed up when it came to Harry's placement. He had known the Dursleys were unloving of course and slightly neglectful but he had never considered the possibility of abuse until he had visited their home after Sirius had taken Harry and he knew that he did deserve some of Sirius's anger. He should have picked up the signs, and then assigned a guard or minder to ensure Harry's safety and allow him to reside there, thus maintaining the blood protection. But he had not and he had paid the price. Not to mention it was abuse, he should never have allowed Harry to grow up in an abusive household, it wasn't right and if he had known he would have ensured that Harry would have been protected there.

"Damn it Albus!" Sirius's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he suddenly realised that he had drifted off in the middle of the conversation, "If you do not have any answers, and they'd better be bloody good ones, I will start looking for another school for Harry to attend next year." His voice was tightly controlled but there was no mistaking the hard edge. Sirius didn't actually intend to pull Harry out of Hogwarts, the boy loved the school too much to contemplate doing that, not to mention as a founder's heir, he would have more protection here than at any other school. But Dumbledore did not know this and, as he saw the man blanch, he knew just how effective a threat he had at his disposal.

Dumbledore's thought were whirling around, jostling for space. Take Harry from Hogwarts, the mere idea chilled his bones, he needed Harry here for the Greater Good, not to mention, more sentimentally, he wanted _Harry _to attend the school he had gone to, loved, taught at and finally become Headmaster of. But Sirius was well within his rights as a guardian, and potentially the boy's parent, to change the school he attended.

"Answers Albus," Sirius all but growled and belatedly Dumbledore realised that Sirius had seen his reaction and one glance at the man's face confirmed that Black knew precisely how devastating a weapon he had at his disposal. He sighed, he knew the man would never hurt the boy, he doubted he would even be able too, and whilst he knew that, given time, he could almost certainly find a way to keep Harry at Hogwarts, unless of course Black had blood adopted him, which, looking at the love he could see in Sirius's eyes, even as clouded with anger as they were, seemed to be a very likely possibility. He knew that for a time being, he was in a corner and he would have to volunteer up some information in order to get Black off his back. Of course he wouldn't tell him everything, horcruxes and the prophecy were prime examples of the information he would keep to himself, but, as he thought about it, he realised Sirius did have a point, and that he really did owe him some answers.

He sighed, when had all his plans fallen to pieces? He felt so old, so useless and he realised that it wasn't just answers he owed the man, if was also apologies.

"First of all I feel I must apologise to you Sirius, I never meant for Harry to be abused, and nor did I question your incarceration, and I should have and for that I am deeply sorry."

Sirius was taken aback for a moment, the last thing had ever expected the man to do was apologise, the man was certain he knew everything, and he and only he was able to make important decisions, however his blighted upbringing had taught him to keep his composure and prevent his emotions from showing. He pushed the apology aside, focusing on much more important matters, and the pause was so short Dumbledore would not even realise that his actions had thrown him, if only slightly.

"Never meant for it to happen," he hissed, his voice dropping dangerously as he realised precisely what Dumbledore's words had implied, "So what did you mean to happen? For a child to grow up neglected, unloved, to be denied information, taunted and ridiculed, did you mean that? Denying him information about his heritage, did you mean that too? Was the abuse only regrettable," his voice twisted around the word and the Headmaster couldn't help but flinch, "because you never _meant_ for them to go that far!"

Sirius's voice had risen to a shout and Dumbledore could feel the magic that had grown thick upon the air. Sirius's eyes had darkened until they were almost black and he was suddenly, forcibly, reminded that although Sirius had run away, had disowned his family, he had still been born a Black and there was a reason that Blacks were feared. He could only be thankful that the man had never turned to the Dark because he knew that if he had, Voldemort would have been the lesser threat. He would never admit it to anyone else, but looking at Sirius now, and seeing the way his eyes blazed and the way ancient magic, his magic and Black family magic were all whipping through the air at his command, responding to his anger, frightened Dumbledore.

It was magic at its most pure, its most ancient, most raw and most powerful and he knew that, like Lily's sacrifice, it was powered by the love that Sirius had for his godson and there was no telling what it could do if it got out of the Black Lord's control.

He could hear Sirius's accusations ringing in his ears and he forced himself to look at the truth, had he meant for Harry to be unloved? It had not been his intention certainly, his only thought when placing the boy with the muggles was to give the boy the Blood Protection that he would receive from living with his Aunt, but when reports of the problems had come through from Arabella, he had dismissed them, the Blood Protection was more important than the fact the boy was slightly neglected and unloved.

The magic stirred in the air, and one glance at Sirius's jet black eyes reminded him that it would be wise to answer before something worse happened, or the magic grew impatient enough to try to persuade him, for lack of a better word, to speak.

"I never wanted Harry to be abused, I merely wanted him to grow up with his family, away from the fame of the wizarding world, something like that would have been overwhelming for a young boy." Sirius nodded shortly,

"I can understand that, with myself and Remus unable to take guardianship, I can understand your actions ever if I don't like them, but," his voice suddenly lost its pleasant air and turned cold, "Why in Merlin's name did you send him back once you knew he was being abused, why did you not send someone to check up on him..."

Here Dumbledore felt compelled to interrupt, "Arabella Figg was stationed in the neighbourhood in order to watch over him," he said somewhat defensively. Sirius merely brushed the words aside,

"And did she ever manage to actually see what was going on in that house?" he demanded. The lack of response from Dumbledore was an answer in its self and he snorted in derision.

"But even though he was being _watched_" his voice twisted the word, making a mockery of it, and he saw Dumbledore glance away, unwilling to meet his eyes, "That does not answer my question. WHY DID YOU EVER LET HIM GO BACK THERE WHEN _**YOU KNEW**__!" _

The light in his eyes would have terrified anyone, and for the first time Dumbledore saw precisely what Azkaban had done to the man. Gone was the irresponsible, reckless, thoughtless prankster he had known stalk the halls of Hogwarts with his partners in crime, here was a man who had endured hell on earth for twelve years, and despite what most people thought, had not come out unscathed. Sirius Black knew full well the evil in humans and he had sworn himself to protect he child he considered his own against everything the world could throw at him.

Dumbledore dropped his gaze, unable to look at the man before him, the man he and the whole wizarding world had wronged, and the man who was demanding answers, answers he deserved. For the first time in over a hundred years he felt the heavy weight of his years press down upon him along with all those he had sacrificed for the cause, often without them realising it.

"There is an old magic protecting Harry," he found himself explaining, "It was caused by Lily's sacrifice, as long as he called his Aunt's house his home, there was a protection in his very blood, a protection that meant Voldemort could not touch him. I sent him back to ensure he had that protection." He half expected Sirius to show some sign of shock, of worry caused by taking the boy away from such strong protections but there was not even a flicker in Sirius's expression.

"All the protection in the world is not worth the harm of being abused," the man's eyes and expression, almost impossibly, darkened further, "And that is something I know far too well." His voice was level but there was a darkness to it which made Dumbledore step backwards, "The Blood Protection is not worth a damn if it couldn't protect him inside that house."

Sirius narrowed his eyes, "If I had not taken him from those bastards, he would not have made it to the end of the summer. And you were willing to risk Harry, risk a child, harm him and destroy his childhood, just to give him a protection that he should have never needed in the first place." He paused, gazing at Dumbledore, intensity shinning out of his eyes, "And then Harry nearly died. And there is nobody to blame but you."

The words hit the Headmaster like a physical blow. He had never realised it was so severe, that Harry would have died and from what Sirius was saying, he had been close to death. He had nearly lost the boy, and all hope of ever destroying Voldemort, and all because of his stupid choices, all because of his inability to see what was in front of him, all because of his insistence to keep to the plan.

"You may reprimand me all you want to Sirius," even his voice sounded weary, "I shall not stop you, Merlin knows I deserve it."

As he was speaking faces had been flashing before his eyes, Ariana, Tom, Grimmwauld, and then later ones, Lily, James, Frank, Alice, all the people he had failed and then Harry, the boy he had nearly failed, even more completely than his parents. He had managed to stop himself from thinking of them, from thinking of what his sacrifices really cost, the cost he had managed to shield himself from before. Guilt, crushing and overwhelming swamped him. All the faces, all the names, all the voices, everything he had sacrificed in pursuit of the Greater Good.

The Greater Good. Everything he had done was trying to make the Wizarding World a better place but looking at it now he couldn't stop himself from wondering was it worth it. Were all the deaths, all those people who had blindly followed him, who had laid down their lives for him, worth what had been achieved? He didn't know. Before he would have said yes in an instant, but now he simply didn't know. He could justify it of course, he would be able to look at all his reasons and find a justification for each and every one of his actions, but he knew that Sirius, although he didn't know how the man had done it, had planted the doubt. And he knew he would never stop questioning each and every action.

Suddenly he realised that, to his utter surprise, Sirius had not taken the opportunity to rebuke him. Perplexed he looked up and he was struck but the black understanding he saw in Sirius's eyes.

"You'll never stop blaming yourself," the Black Lord said softly, "You'll try to rationalise it of course, and in the day, who knows, you might even succeed. But at night you will always know, always see their faces, and that will punish you more thoroughly than I ever could."

"But," his voice dropped the soft edge and his eyes became agate hard, "If you ever forget, or try to control or manipulate Harry again, I will be here to remind you and I will not let you hurt him ever again. This is your last warning Headmaster. Harry is mine to protect now, and I _will_ protect him and if that sets me against you, then so be it."

His eyes locked with Dumbledore's for a long moment and the Headmaster read all the protectiveness, anger, love, regret, guilt and sorrow in their depths. Then Sirius nodded once, breaking the contact as he spun on his heel and left the room, leaving a pensive Dumbledore alone with his thoughts, and his guilt.

* * *

Harry smiled as Sirius rubbed his shoulder in a silent gesture of support before he left the hall, Dumbledore following in his wake. He was able to attack his breakfast with a lot more gusto after the Ministry Official had silenced the majority of his critics, Slytherins did not count, indeed, one glance at their table revealed that Malfoy was being his usual charming self, in other words, a complete prat. He was reassured that a repeat of his second year was not about to occur and that the whispers and animosity he had been receiving from the Hufflepuff table in particular, had all but ceased.

He had finished his breakfast and he was making his way towards the Quiddich Pitch, Fred, George and Ron accompanying him - they didn't have a practice as it was Sunday, but he knew that a fly would settle his nerves, and a quick pickup game, provided they could find another few players would help them all to relax – when Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott caught up with them.

"Harry!" The blonde haired girl called, and he stopped, turning round, a curious expression on his features.

"Susan?" He replied, his voice questioning.

"We just wanted to say, Hannah and I, that we're sorry you're stuck in the tournament, and Hufflepuff will support you, after Cedric of course," she flashed him a smile then her gaze drifted to the brooms, "And, is there any chance of joining you?"

"Yeah sure," he replied shrugging although he couldn't help but smile in reply, they needed the extra players and he couldn't deny that he was touched by the apology and gesture of support. It was the first time anyone from one of the other houses had shown their support for him in the tournament, and it was a far cry from the hostile reception he had received this morning.

Several minutes later they had been joined by Neville, who surprisingly enough, turned out to be a decent keeper, and Ginny who managed to shock her brothers when she showed that she knew a lot about flying. Very quickly they had a small pickup game going and Harry thrust himself through the air with reckless abandon, just enjoying the freedom and the sheer joy he got whenever he flew, as he searched for the snitch.

Nearly two hours later, a windswept and breathless group landed, still laughing. They had managed to play a handful of games, and whilst Hannah was no match for Harry when it came to seeking, there had been several, highly amusing incidents with the Beaters and Chasers, Fred and George in particular, locked in a vicious beater battle which escalated to the point where nobody knew where and when the next Bludger would appear. Harry was in high spirits as he headed back to Gryffindor Tower to get started on the homework that had managed to pile up due to the excitement of the last couple of days.

However the gloating figure of Draco Malfoy, a smirk on his face as he stood, blocking the corridor, flanked by the two pieces of portable muscle that were Crabbe and Goyle, soured the good mood in an instant. "What do you want Malfoy?" Harry demanded, not in the mood to deal with the arrogant Slytherin. The boy's smirk widened, "Oh I just wanted to show you this Potter," he said carelessly, indicating the badge that had pride of place on his school robes. It was currently flashing 'Support Cedric Diggory, the REAL Hogwarts Champion," in bold bright letters.

Harry just shrugged, not really bothered. He couldn't care less about the honour of the Tournament, and if Malfoy was trying to rile him he was failing miserably. "Yeah I know," he said impatiently, "If you don't mind moving?" The sarcasm in the last sentence was obvious. Malfoy appeared a little irritated with the lack of reaction but he didn't move.

"Not yet Potter," he drawled, "You haven't seen all the features." He jabbed the badge with his wand and the lettering rippled and changed until it spelt out, 'Potter Cheats!" Harry just growled, not having expected anything else from the spoilt Slytherin,

"Get out of my way Malfoy," He pushed passed them and was heading away when a thought struck him, "I'd keep those badges out of sight of Professor Black," he called back to the blonde boy, "I'd imagine he'd be most displeased if he learnt of the second message." He was rewarded with a grimace and a muttered, "Get lost Potter," and he knew that, even though they did not act like it most of the time, the large majority of the Slytherins, including those in the Death Eater circles were wary of his godfather, something to do with the Death Eater lives Sirius had taken in battle, or so Sirius had told him, and those outside that circle had come to respect Sirius as a competent Professor and had evidently taken his earlier warnings to heart.

* * *

Harry frowned in concentration as he carefully added the powered lacewings to his potion, it was an extremely delicate stage in the proceedings, and, once Snape had stopped breathing down his neck and had actually let him work, Harry had discovered to his complete surprise, that although he was not a genius when it came to the subject, he was certainly good at it, and as such, he had no intention of botching up his potion.

The last couple of weeks had proved to be extremely hectic, on top of his ordinary workload his was preparing for the tournament and trying to find some time just to enjoy himself and have fun. Preparing for the tournament was proving easier than he had originally thought, because, although he still had absolutely no clue what the first task was, Sirius had kept his promise and was helping him as much as possible. Currently he spent several hours and several sessions a week with his godfather just working on spells that could help him with the tournament and doing research.

The figure of Colin Creevy poked his head round the door, "Professor Snape sir, they sent me to fetch Harry Potter for the Weighing of the Wands," Whereas previously the much hated Professor would have made some scathing remark the man just nodded shortly,

"Get going Potter, and I expect an essay on this potion to be on my desk tomorrow morning is that understood?" He snapped and Harry just nodded, inwardly cursing the fact that the tournament had just increased his workload further. He scrabbled his belongings together, stuffing quills, books and parchment into his bag with almost reckless abandon. He was quite glad to be out of the dungeons, even though he had got a lot better at potions, he didn't think he would ever enjoy the subject as long as Snape was teaching, although he was certainly not looking forward to whatever event he had just been summoned to.

"Ah here he is, our youngest Champion," Bagman enthused and Harry bit back a groan, and he saw Cedric smile sympathetically at him. Once the older boy had learnt he did not want to be in the tournament he had proved to be a good guy, even helping him with some of the higher level spells on occasion, when Sirius was busy and the Hufflepuff had quickly learnt that Harry loathed the attention and would do anything to avoid it. Harry realised he had tuned out and he forced his attention back to the over enthusiastic official. "And this is Rita Skeeter from the Prophet, she's going to writing an article and I think she wants a few photos," Bagman grinned and Harry saw the reporter pull out an acid green quill and she looked hungrily in his direction,

"Yes a few photos would be wonderful Ludo, and perhaps some interviews?" Her eyes didn't leave Harry once and they had a distinctly predatory gleam in them that made him uncomfortable. Not to mention she wrote for the Prophet and he despised the sort of things that they had written about his godfather, and all the rumours that they had spread. It wasn't fair, why couldn't they just leave them alone and let Harry have the family he had always wanted? A scowl graced his features and he switched darkening eyes onto Mr Ollivander as the man called them up one by one to inspect their wands.

Predictably he came last and he sighed as he handed his wand over for examination, by now he just wanted the whole ordeal to be over. Mr Ollivander examined the piece of wood in great detail and Harry just hoped that he wouldn't announce that the core in his wand was the brother of Voldemorts, he dreaded to think what the reaction would be if that got announced and he could just imagine the furore the headlines would create. Eventually though, Ollivander pronounced his wand to be in perfect working order and Harry placed it back into his wand holder, reassured once it was back in his grasp.

They then had to pose for photographs and Harry endured it with mounting impatience and he was making plans to escape as soon as they announced they had the images they needed when those plans were scuppered by a single announcement, "We need interviews," Skeeter said gleefully, "And I'm sure a quick word with Harry here would be wonderful, youngest champion, entered against his will and all that."

Before Harry really knew what had happened, Skeeter had seized his arm and pulled him into a small antechamber, "Now you don't mind if I use a quick notes quill do you Harry," she said, settling herself, fairly uncomfortably on a stone bench.

"What's a quick..."

"Excellent," she continued, ignoring his question, "Well we should get started then." Not really knowing how to get himself out of this situation, and wanting the whole ordeal to be over as soon as possible, Harry perched on a stone ledge, his eyes moving to the acid green quill which was already skating over the parchment.

Skeeter clapped her hands together, drawing his attention back to her, "Now then Harry, how do you feel about the situation? After all, we all know you were forced to compete when you did not enter, but how do you feel about it now the tournament is staring in earnest?"

"I don't want to be in it at all, I just want to be normal," he exclaimed, frustrated. Rita tutted, leaning forward,

"Now then Harry, none of that, you don't have to pretend for me, after all the readers love a rebel,"

"I don't want to be in it!" He protested but his words were ignored.

"Did you feel pressured, was it the change in your guardianship that prompted your acceptance of the situation, was it the..." Harry was feeling overwhelmed, all the questions were making his head spin and he was forcefully reminded of his first ever potions lesson and the questions that Snape had barked at him unrelentingly. Merlin he had felt stupid then, he was being singled out and he hadn't known a single answer, when Hermione's hand was all but touching the ceiling and he'd been convinced that most of the others had known too. It hadn't been until later that he had realised that most of the class had been just as clueless as him and Snape was just being his usual, mean unfair self.

Rita Skeeter was talking at a mile a minute and Harry was trying to stutter out answers, feeling more and more uncomfortable with each second that passed when a voice interrupted. "I believe it is illegal to interview a minor without a guardian present Miss Skeeter." Harry swivelled, an expression of relief breaking out across his features as he saw Sirius standing in the doorway, anger clear in his eyes. A small part of him registered that the morning lessons must have finished for his godfather to be here but it was drowned out by the relief that swept through him. He would finally be able to escape.

With two swift steps Sirius was at his side, pulling him briskly but still gently to his feet and placing a strong hand on his shoulder. "The transcripts if you please," he held his free hand out, his expression expectant.

"Mr Black, it was just a harmless interview, I'm sure it doesn't matter." She tried to pass it off innocently, but Sirius's expression remained stony.

"Legally I am well within my rights and I do mind, and Harry does too. The transcripts please." It as a demand not a request and Sirius's eyes flashed black fire and Skeeter, awful woman notwithstanding, was certainly very adept at surviving and she knew that the dangerous glint in the Black Lord's eye promised retribution if she did not obey. Grumbling to herself she handed over the parchment and hissed in displeasure as Sirius incinerated them with one well placed charm.

Stiffly she collected her remaining belongs and was about to sweep from the room when Sirius's cold voice stopped her. "I do not expect to see any of this in the Prophet, and I expect you or any of your colleagues to stay away from Harry, unless I am present and have given you my permission to approach him." Grudgingly she nodded but both Harry and Sirius could see the calculation in her eyes, and Sirius kept his hard, unrelenting gaze on her as she left the room, mentally making a note to watch out for the blonde reporter.

"Thank you," Harry said quietly once she had left, and Sirius smiled at him, looping his arm over the boy's shoulders and bringing him close in a one armed hug. "I don't want those vultures near you any more than you do pup, and legally I was right, she had no right to interview you, or photograph you without my permission. I'm only sorry that I couldn't be here earlier."

Harry was already shaking his head, how could his godfather be sorry for not getting there for the beginning of the ceremony? He had been called out of lessons and he knew that Sirius had lessons of his own to teach and of course he wasn't going to be able to come during those times, Harry was merely grateful that he had come when he did and he told his godfather so. But Sirius just shook his head "There's nothing more important to me than you pup."

Harry couldn't help but smile and lean against the animagus who still had his arm wrapped around his shoulders, "You don't need to miss lessons because of me though." Sirius merely made a slight noise in the back of this throat, although whether it was of agreement or dissention he couldn't tell. During this time his godfather had been leading him through the corridors, his hand moving to rest on his shoulder as they moved into the slightly more populated areas of the castle. "Hagrid spoke to me earlier," Sirius said causally, "He mentioned that he had something interesting to show you, and that you should go to visit him this evening, bringing your cloak with you."

His godfather locked eyes with him and Harry caught the silent message that this was something to do with the tournament and that, come this evening, a very familiar black dog would be accompanying him, just in case, whatever it was proved to be like some of Hagrid's other pets, ie extremely dangerous.

They reached the Great Hall, and Sirius released his shoulder, giving him a light push in the direction of the Gryffindor Table. "Go get some lunch, you've already missed quite a bit of the lunch break, afternoon lessons start in forty minutes," his godfather instructed softly and Harry nodded, quickly heading for the table as he realised just how hungry he was.

* * *

The large grim like black dog met him at the entrance hall, moving to pad at his side as he headed down the familiar path to Hagrid's hut. Absently-mindedly Harry reached down and laid his hand on the dog's back, stroking the fur softly. He raised his fist to knock on the wooden door, but almost before he had opened it the door was yanked open, "Ah, there ya are 'Arry," Hagrid boomed, "Glad ya could get down, I got summat really good to show ya." It was then he noticed Padfoot, "An' who's this then?" he murmured reaching down with one large hand to pet the dog's head.

"Padfoot," Harry said quickly, he wasn't sure if Hagrid knew about the Marauder's animagus forms but as the man let out a booming chuckle he figured that he didn't. "Smart name for a dog that un, named it after Sirius I see, always pictured 'im as a dog for some reason." He mused and Harry was hard pressed to stop himself from breaking out in laughter and Padfoot gave a coughing sort of bark that Harry supposed was a laugh.

"Ah well, got ya cloak 'Arry?" At Harry's nod he continued, "Hop unner it then, they're some real nice beauties but if anyone got wind tha' I'd shown ya them I'd be in trouble."

"Beauties?" Harry questioned somewhat apprehensively as he slipped under the cloak, anything that Hagrid thought was beautiful was likely to be extremely dangerous to anything that was not a half giant and named Hagrid, and even then, he mused, there were several creatures that he were sure were dangerous for Hagrid too, no matter how much he protested that they were, "jus' misunderstood."

Cloak secured Harry ghosted in Hagrid's footsteps, Sirius bounding along beside them as they headed into the forest. Harry glanced round slightly apprehensively, he hoped that Hagrid was not taking him to see some of his creatures, the last time he had come here on Hagrid's recommendation, both he and Ron had almost been eaten by a nest of hungry acromantulas and he was in no hurry to repeat the experience. His fears were not in any way assuaged when he spotted a dull orange haze through the trees and he heard a cacophony of dull roars in the distance.

They came through the last of the trees and into an open space, and Harry's jaw dropped because, behind bars of steel that encircled the entire clearing no less than four dragons stood, fighting and roaring at their handlers. A detached part of his brain noted that one of the handlers nearest to them had a shock of bright red hair, identifying him as a Weasley, but that observation was swept away a second later when the dragon released a huge spurt of sooty orange flame, straight at them, coming so close that he could feel the blistering heat of it on his face.

Automatically his fingers sought Padfoot's fur. Finding it he buried his fingers in the dog's coat, clutching at the dog as he searched for support, even as he felt the tenseness of his godfather, even in his animagus form.

Half a dozen stunners erupted from the handler's wands and slowly the massive dragon crumpled to the ground and Harry saw that to his utter relief that the rest of the handler's were managing to subdue their dragons. "Hey there Hagrid," a cheerful voice called and now that Harry didn't have to focus on the massive, deadly, fire-breathing lizards in front of him, he recognised the speaker as Charlie Weasley. He heard Hagrid boom out a reply but his attention was focussed on Charlie's next words.

"Lovely creatures, nesting mothers you know. I have to say, it got bit tricky there, had to subdue them until we can get their eggs back to them. We've got one for each of the Champions, and I have to say I don't envy them. Facing one of them alone is bad enough, but having to steal an egg and get past them? You'd have to be bloody crazy even to attempt it!"

The conversation moved on but Harry stopped paying any attention his thought firmly fixed on the dragons. He had to get past one, had to steal an egg and come out of it alive. It seemed impossible and he felt cold fear worm its way into his gut. He wasn't able to do this, he'd die in the first minute and then what would happen?

The cold wet touch of Padfoot's nose pulled him out of his thoughts and he felt the dog butt against his side, nudging him in the direction of the castle. Sparing one last fear filled glance back at the dragons, Harry persuaded his leaden feet to move, carrying him out of the forest and through the Hogwarts corridors to the safety of Sirius's quarters.

* * *

And here's the update! Hope you all enjoyed it, and thank you so much to all who reivewed (over 500, I can scarcely believe it and on my first fic too! :) )

Anyway, see you in two weeks and please reivew.


	26. The First Task

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 25 – The First Task**

The days seemed to speed by and all too soon the day of the first task had dawned. Harry picked at his breakfast, not noticing his friends efforts as they tried to engage him in conversation. He had been working with Sirius ever since they had found out about the dragons on a way to get past them and they thought they had a decent plan, however that did nothing to stop the nerves that were assaulting him from all sides.

Eventually he couldn't take anymore and he stood abruptly, pushing his plate away from him and stalking out of the hall. The First Task didn't start for another couple of hours but he didn't think he was able to stand the waiting for much longer. He knew what was coming and he knew that, even despite all their planning, all the spells he had practiced until he was able to cast them in his sleep, there was still a good chance that he could get hurt and if that happened it would hurt Sirius and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt his godfather.

Sirius had given him so much, loved him as if he was his own son and was even going to adopt him and Harry could see the hurt in his godfather's eyes whenever the tournament was mentioned and he knew the man blamed himself for Harry being stuck in it. It didn't matter that Harry didn't blame the man for one second, quite the contrary, he was so so relieved and happy to have the unconditional support that the animagus offered but that didn't change what Sirius felt and Harry knew the coming task would be just as hard for his godfather to watch as it would be for him to compete in it.

His wandering feet carried him to the shore of the lake and he stood, eyes staring out unseeingly over the black water, his mind in a jumbled mess. He'd often come here whenever he wanted solitude, very few students bothered to walk down to the lake side and even the noises of the castle were muted by the rushing wind and the lap of water against the shore. The constant movement of the waves calmed him slightly, it was a reminder that there was still peace in the world even when everything seemed to be falling to pieces around him.

An arm settled across his shoulders and he felt himself being pulled back into a warm embrace. After the initial start of surprise he relaxed, he didn't have to look to know who it was who had come to find him, he would know his godfather anywhere, not to mention, Sirius was the only person who had ever shown him this sort of parental affection. "I'm alright," he murmured, more to reassure his godfather than out of any belief that the words were actually true.

"If you were alright you wouldn't be down here brooding," Sirius corrected softly, "I know you're worried Harry, the way you stormed out of the hall showed that rather clearly," There was a faint hint of amusement in the observation and Harry felt the first flickers of annoyance but it was hard to be annoyed with Sirius when he was still cocooned in the safe haven his godfather's arms provided, "But you have every right to be, Merlin I knows I am and I'm not even competing." The animagus's voice grew thick and Harry felt him press a rough kiss into his hair, "But I swear to you pup that you will get through this, you will be able to do this."

Harry smiled slightly, resting his head against Sirius's chest, although he didn't quite believe the words nonetheless they had still eased something inside him. The nerves and fear were still there of course but they no longer felt quite so suffocating, he wasn't sure that he would get through it but now there was a faint hint of hope, the thought he might be able to make it.

"Thanks Sirius," he murmured, his eyes glancing upwards to meet his godfather's concerned grey ones and he saw a smile touch Sirius's features.

"Anything for you pup," his godfather replied and this time Harry's smile reached his eyes.

They stayed there for a few more moments, Harry still not making any move to escape from Sirius's embrace, just watching the water and drinking in the comfort and support his godfather offered so readily. But unfortunately, no matter what either of them wanted, they couldn't avoid the Tournament forever. Sirius's arm moved to his shoulders and his godfather gave him a slight nudge in the direction of the castle, "Come on pup," he murmured, "We'd best be getting back, the task starts in a just over an hour and they wanted all four of you to be in the tent well before then." Harry sighed but resolutely turned and started on the long walk back to the castle, Sirius's arm still wrapped firmly round his shoulders.

Strange as it may seem, he felt a lot calmer now and he knew Sirius was the same, it was odd, how with the task mere minutes away, it didn't seem quite as frightening as it had done when they had first found of about the dragons. It had been one of the first times he had seen his godfather lose his composure.

_The black dog blurred for a moment and in its place stood the tall figure of his godfather. Harry all but ran to him and immediately Sirius's arms were wrapped tightly around him. "It's alright Harry," he murmured, although Harry could clearly hear a strain in his godfather's voice that belied the words he was speaking. _

_Sirius drew back a moment, studying Harry's face closely. Evidently, something he saw there disquieted him, for immediately he moved towards the sofa, settling down on it and pulled the boy gently down to join him before wrapping him in an embrace and carding his fingers softly through the black hair. After a moment Harry relaxed fully in the arms that were holding him, Sirius had promised that he would help him, he wouldn't be alone, he would get through this. But even as the thoughts rose in his mind he knew they were hollow, the fear was still there, biting sharp in his mind and no matter what he tried to tell himself he still couldn't believe that he would be able to get past it._

_Slowly Harry felt the tenseness that had risen with him at the discovery of what he would be facing, melt away, but the worries that had assaulted him when he first realised precisely what he was going to have to face were still plaguing him and they weren't being assuaged in any way by his godfather's presence and comfort. "How am I going to be able to do this?" He exclaimed desperately, "I know I fought a basilisk but I had Fawkes and the sword and I didn't know what I was doing really, but this time I need a plan, I need to know what I doing and I haven't got a clue." His voice had been steadily rising, almost bordering on hysterical._

"_Hush Harry," Sirius had commanded, "It is going to be alright, we will find a way to get past the dragon and I will ensure that you survive, I promise."_

_His expression turned thoughtful, "I'm sure there will be some interesting and useful books in the Black Library, I'll get Nixie to find anything that could be useful and the Hogwarts Library has to have some decent books. Not to mention you only have to get past it, not fight it, so I'm sure that I already know some decent spells, some of which are fourth year level, which I can teach you while we research, so you will have no chance of going in blind."_

_Harry managed to summon up a smile, certainly it seemed less bleak than it had done when he first been faced by the dragons and not for the first time he thanked whatever gods that were listening that he had Sirius as a godfather. Sirius ruffled his hair then moved to stand, and as Harry glanced up his was struck by the glittering anger he could see in the man's eyes. He had seen anger in adults before, with his uncle he had seen it virtually every day, but he had never seen anger quite so deadly as the anger that was bleeding through Sirius's counternance._

_He couldn't help it, he froze instantly, and it was only the knowledge that Sirius would never hurt him, that he loved Harry like a son, and that the rage was not directed at him, which prevented him from crying out. Suddenly the man turned, spinning on his heel as he headed for the portrait hole, and almost involuntarily a cry left Harry's lips, regardless of his apprehension, "Sirius!"_

_Instantly his godfather froze and when he turned back towards Harry the rage was gone, to be replaced by regret. Before Harry had enough time to realise what was happening, Sirius had crossed the room and enfolded him in his arms. "I'm sorry Harry," his godfather's soft voice murmured, and all traces of the anger had bled out of it, "I never meant to scare you, and I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me, especially when you needed me."_

"_It's alright," Harry whispered, not knowing what else to say. His godfather shook his head in disagreement, but did not say anything further, merely pouring as much love into the hug as he was able to, trying to reassure the boy that nothing he had done was aimed at Harry. Finally Harry spoke again, "Where were you going?" he asked quietly. Sirius glanced down at him,_

"_I was going to give the Ministry Officials a piece of my mind. I cannot believe they would be so irresponsible as to bring dragons to a school full of children and force you to go up against them, even if you don't have to fight them directly. Not to mention, they have you facing nesting mothers, and they are always the most dangerous."_

_Harry bit his lip, "Could you wait until after the task please," at his godfather's quizzical look he hurried to elaborate, "It's just if you confront them now they will probably stop you from helping me and I would really struggle if you couldn't help me. If you did it after the task they wouldn't know that you already knew."_

_Sirius pondered it for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. Although the ministry would never keep him from helping his godson, Harry was right with the fact it would cause unnecessary complications, and realistically he knew it wouldn't change anything, they wouldn't change the task now, not to mention he did not want to do anything that would make Harry worry anymore than he already did._

And Sirius had kept his promise Harry mused. He hadn't gone and shouted at the Ministry Officials yet and he had helped Harry was much as possible, teaching him and researching in every spare hour he had. Even though Harry wasn't a hundred percent sure that the scheme they had cooked up and practiced tirelessly for several weeks would work precisely as it was meant to, he knew he was in a far better position than he would have been without his godfather's help, knowing him, he would have decided it was a good idea to try and out fly the bloody thing or something.

They finally stopped in front of the large tent that was reserved for the champions but before Harry could go inside, he was swept into an almost bone crushing hug. "You are going to be fine," Sirius murmured, "It'll be over before you know it." But while the words were spoken to Harry, he knew that they were mainly for his godfather's benefit. He hugged the animagus back, trying to give the older man the comfort he needed. Eventually Sirius pulled back, clearing his throat, "Good luck," he managed to say, his voice somewhat hoarse. Harry summoned up a weak smile, before sucking in a deep breath and heading into the Champions tent.

He saw immediately that he was the last to arrive, Fleur, Krum and Cedric were already there, pacing the inside of the tent, a whole variety of expressions plastered over their features. Harry noticed however, that whilst all of them looked worried, there was none of the panic that he would have expected if they hadn't known about the task, and he knew his decision to tell Cedric had been the right one. At least now, all the Champions knew exactly what they would be facing.

Harry joined in with the pacing, mentally reviewing exactly what he was going to do. His plan involved two key elements, distraction and sneaking past the creature. For the distraction, Sirius had taught him one of the Marauder's speciality spells, lifesize fireworks that acted like the creature they were emulating, and he intended to create a huge dragon that would be more of a threat than him, to distract the dragon's attention for long enough for him to deal with the other part of the plan.

During their research, he had discovered that, whilst dragons could see and hear, and used those skills, they mainly operated by scent, and further research in the Black Library had struck gold. An ancient spell, that could completely mask the scent of whomever it was cast on for a period of twelve hours. The original writings, suggested that it had been used to mask the scent of humans around werewolves, if they didn't smell like humans the wolf would not attack, but it was also useful here too. The other spells was going to use were more well known, but that didn't mean they were easy. A disillusionment charm was seventh year material, and whilst silencing spells were fourth year, they had not been taught yet and they did take a long time to cast.

Reasonably sure that he knew what he was doing, with a couple of spells in reverse should everything go to pot, Harry glanced round at the other champions, wondering what plans and techniques they had come up with. He was sure it would be very interesting to watch if he was not competing but unfortunately that hadn't happened. He was pulled out of his thoughts by the arrival of Ludo Bagman, the Ministry Official came in almost bouncing in anticipation, clutching a cloth bag in his fist.

After all the pleasantries were out of the way they each selected their dragon and Harry had to bite back a groan when he drew the Horntail. Not only did he know it was reputed to be one of the fiercest dragons, and a breed extraordinarily protective of their young, it was also the last one to be faced, which meant he would have to wait whilst the other three competed which would do nothing for his nerves. He tuned out the sound of Ludo Bagman's voice as he gave them last minute advice and returned to his previous occupation, namely pacing back and forth in the tent.

He waited, nerves jangling as one by one the champions were called. He could clearly hear Bagman's commentary through the thin canvas walls and he wished he could see what was going on. Listening to the words without being able to see what had caused all the exclamations was definitely worse than seeing what was going on. His mind run rampant, conjuring up all sorts of horrible scenarios, all the things a dragon could do to a person.

After a length of time that had seemed both infinite and to pass in the blink of an eye he heard his name called and on leaden feet he clambered out into the bright sunlight of the arena, his breath catching as he first caught sight of the Horntail.

The dragon was immense, scales gleaming in the sunlight, almost golden eyes shining with an ancient and powerful intelligence, razor sharp claws digging into the rock around the nest. The creature was magnificent and Harry knew that if he didn't have to somehow fight this huge beast and get around it, in the process stealing something from its nest, he would have admired the creature.

But he couldn't afford to spend time staring, between one breath and the next he dived behind an outcrop of rock, using it as a physical shield as he pulled together his scattered thoughts and began to cast. The first spells were the ones he was going to apply to himself, he didn't know how much time his distraction would give him and as such he needed to be completely ready when the time came.

As soon as all the charms were cast he stepped out of from behind the rock and with a final wave of his wand the huge firework dragon appeared on the other side of the arena. He ignored the cries of surprise from the audience above and he held his breath, his attention fixed on the dragon, willing it to move. It had its eyes fixed on his creation but so far it had not moved. Then his creation roared and the Horntail lunged forward, a stream of fire flowing from its jaws.

That was his cue. Heart pounding in his chest he launched himself into a full out sprint, legs churning as he sped towards the nest. He risked a single glance over his shoulder and he could see the Horntail was still engaged with his distraction. The nest was getting closer and closer, he was almost there and with one final push he managed to clamber into the nest, his gaze searching for the golden egg.

Suddenly as if out of nowhere the vast bulk of the Horntail settled over the nest, evidently finished with his creation and he watched with terror as two of the spells concealing him rippled and vanished. The silencing spells and the disillusionment charm had gone, leaving him stranded, visible and noisy in the middle of the Horntail's nest.

He froze, the only thing that he could be thankful for was that the scent removing spell was still there, it would mean he would have to move or the dragon would have to look at her eggs before he was noticed. Belatedly he remembered a sentence that had been tacked on the end of a paragraph in one of the older books, "_In some breeds of dragon their natural magic will dispel any magic that was created after their birth when it is brought in close proximity." _Mentally Harry cursed, he knew that the two spells he had used were relatively new inventions, a hundred or so years old, so there was no chance of reapplying them until he was out of the nest, and whilst there were other spells he knew, he couldn't cast them silently, and if he tried to cast them, he would immediately attract the dragon's attention, and that was only if they would actually survive the proximity with the dragon.

He was trying desperately to come up with a plan that would not result in either death or severe injury when he heard something that shocked him to the core. Above him the dragon started to hiss and to his surprise he found he could understand every word. The Horntail was murmuring to her eggs, Harry assumed it was a lullaby or story as the dragon sung of battles and ancient warriors. The dragon was speaking parseltongue which meant that he could communicate with the dragon.

Very faintly he began to see the glimmer of an idea, if he could communicate with the dragon perhaps he could somehow persuade it to let him have the golden egg that it would not recognise as its own anyway and perhaps it would let him go. He had to admit it was a long shot, there was no guarantee that just because he could speak with it that it would not harm him, but he was uncomfortably aware that he didn't have many, if any options. Stuck in the middle of the nest, unable to move without drawing the dragon's attention and unable to cast magic that would not evaporate pretty much instantly, and certainly unable to cast silently.

He was about to draw breath to speak when his luck kicked in once more, the Horntail swung its head downwards and in a instant he found himself nose to nose with the dragon.

He flinched, expecting at any moment the burst of fire that would completely obliterate him but it didn't come. Instead the dragon appraised him, golden eyes glowing as they surveyed him. "A hatchling," the sound escaped as a low hiss, "But without a scent," Harry held his breath as the Horntail nudged him sending him stumbling back. In the corner of his brain that was still working he registered that the scales were quite cool and unlike what he had been expecting the scales on the dragon's muzzle were not sharp. Above him the dragon was continuing its musings, "This is a strange creature indeed, a hatchling without a scent but quite solid and not a being of magic."

A claw whipped out but instead of crushing him it picked him up gently, lifting him from the nest and placing him on the edge of the crag, mere meters from the nest. Harry's brain was working overdrive, the dragon obviously did not perceive him as a threat, she was more curious than anything else and while it stayed that way he was safe, he just had to ensure that it remained that way. "Great Dragon," he hissed, deciding that flattery increased his chance of survival, "I mean no harm to you or to your eggs."

He saw the Horntail rear backwards in shock, before the neck arched and the snout swept down to regard him steadily. "You speak?" Harry nodded politely "Yes Great Dragon." The Horntail snorted in what he could only describe as amusement.

"None of that now hatchling," the dragon chided him and Harry couldn't quite pinpoint the strange sensation that swept over him at the words. The dragon was treating him as if he was a very young child, but he supposed that to a dragon he would look like a small child. Norbert had grown at an alarming rate after all. "I am but a mother defending my eggs, I have no need of flattery. Address me as what I am hatchling, not what conceit would make me. Now why are you at my nest?"

Harry knew he had to choose his words very carefully, he needed to make her understand what he was doing without incurring her wrath. "Mother," he said, and the word tasted odd in his mouth. He had never had anyone to call that name, and even though the dragon was treating it like a title, it still couldn't shake all the connotations the word had for Harry and all the loss. "Humans took an object from me and hid it near your nest, I was searching for the thing they took."

A puff of smoke slipped through the dragon's nostrils and her eyes narrowed to slits. "Humans, egg stealers, nest breakers, cursèd creatures," the venom in her hiss was unmistakable and Harry was suddenly extremely thankful, that due to the scent spell, she had not detected him as human. "What did they steal from you hatchling?"

"A golden metal egg," he answered, hope colouring his voice. The situation had seemed bleak no more than minutes ago but now, not only had he not been eaten, he also had spoken to the dragon who no longer perceived him as a threat and maybe, just maybe she would help him and at the very least she would not attack him anymore.

"The egg is yours hatchling?" She asked, curiosity colouring her voice, "I had wondered where that had come from, and indeed, apart from the fading scent of humans on it, it has no scent at all."

"Yes Mother," he replied and the dragon regarded him for a moment before her head whipped round into her nest, returning moments later with the egg held lightly in her jaws. Gently she set it down by him and smiling up at her gratefully Harry reached forward and lifted the cool metal up. "Thank you." The Horntail nudged him again, her golden eyes sparkling.

"You are very welcome hatchling, but I think you should get back to your own mother now, I'm sure she is worried about you."

Harry couldn't help but feel sad at those words. He had never had a mother to fuss or worry over him and he couldn't deny that when he was younger, and even at Hogwarts he had often been jealous of the other children for having parents, and he had definitely envied Ron for the family he had. But that didn't matter now. He had Sirius, he had a parent and he knew that Sirius was going to be almost out of his mind with worry. That thought reminded him that he ought to keep moving, he never wanted to worry his godfather, so he bowed to the dragon, speaking his thanks for the second time before he turned and headed towards the edge of the enclosure and the exit.

As he stepped through the exit and to safety the noise of the crowd which had just washed over him in the enclosure assailed his ears. "And our youngest champion is the quickest to get his egg," the voice of Ludo Bagman boomed above the noise of the milling crowd, "And by taming the dragon too. What a remarkable feat, this is definitely going to shorten the odds on Mr Potter here."

He couldn't quite believe it. How on earth had he managed to be the quickest to get the egg? It had seemed like he had spent an age in the enclosure and he knew that the adrenaline was still racing through his body. But it was over, he had done it and incredibly he had not been injured in any way at all. Suddenly relief swept through him, he had done it. The first task was over and he had survived.

He caught sight of Sirius along with Professor McGonagall and Hagrid hurrying towards him, and even from this distance he could see the whiteness of his godfather's face as well as the relieved smiles each wore. They caught up with him and in an instant Harry felt himself pulled sharply into his godfather's embrace as he was held in a grip so tight it was almost painful.

"You're alright," Sirius whispered again and again, almost a prayer as he tried to reassured himself that Harry was here and safe. He had never been more frightened than when he had seen Harry flicker into visibility in the middle of the Horntail's nest. When he was stuck there it was impossible to extract him or subdue the dragon if it became aggressive before it would have killed Harry and for several awful moments he had become convinced he was about to lose his child. There were no words to describe the terror, pain and grief he had felt in those heart-stopping moments until the dragon had extracted Harry from the nest and he had seen Harry start to speak to it, and even then he had not been able to suppress any of his worry until his pup had exited the enclosure and the dragon had been subdued by the handlers.

He tightened his grip even further, stroking one shaking hand through the boy's raven hair and he felt Harry bury himself in his embrace, wrapping his own arms around him. Sirius felt relief well up inside him, Harry was safe, he was holding him tightly and miraculously his godson had escaped the enclosure without so much as a scratch.

"Sirius, Poppy needs to have a look at Harry," McGonagall's voice broke into his thoughts and immediately he pulled back although he kept a tight grip on Harry's shoulders, his face becoming taut with worry once more. Had he missed an injury, was Harry hurt, had it hurt him? Worries began to build in his mind and he started to move quickly towards the infirmary tent, Harry hurrying along in his wake.

Madam Pomfrey was waiting for them, and she clucked her tongue disapprovingly as her gaze roved over both of them and she ushered them inside and into one of four curtained off areas before forcing Harry to sit down on the hospital bed. Immediately Sirius sat down beside him, never relinquishing his hold on his child. Madam Pomfrey took one look at him and with a wave of her wand a vial filled with a blue potion flew into her hand and she presented it to him. "Drink up Black," she commanded crisply even as her wand was up and waving over Harry in the familiar diagnostic patterns as she muttered uncomplimentary sentences about the organisers and their idiocy in bringing in dragons for the champions to face. Sentiments Sirius agreed with completely.

But the words reminded him of precisely why Harry had been in danger in the first place and he pulled Harry closer and he felt the teen rest his head against his shoulder as Harry sensed that his godfather needed the comfort. "I'm fine," Harry murmured, "Madam Pomfrey will confirm it in a moment and I'm sorry I worried you." Those words more than anything shocked Sirius out of his thoughts.

"It wasn't your fault pup," he said fiercely, "And I am incredibly proud of you. You were absolutely amazing out there." He saw Harry smile at the praise and he felt some of the anxiety drain away. The task was over and he didn't need to be worried anymore, Harry was alive and uninjured and that was all that mattered.

"Are you actually going to drink that potion?" Harry asked curiously, drawing Sirius attention to the vial the nurse had handed him, a calming draught he realised now. He shook his head, "I think it'll keep, anyway, I need to have a temper on me if I'm going to go and shout at the Ministry Officials don't I?" Although his tone was light and humorous, and Harry chuckled, there was an undercurrent of anger laced through. Sirius had not forgotten his anger at the people who had designed such a deadly task, and whilst his rage had been pushed to a back seat due to his fear and worry in the actual task it did not mean it was any less potent, indeed, if anything, it had become worse.

"You've got a clean bill of health," Madam Pomfrey's voice interrupted, "I have to say I'm impressed," she smiled at him, "You managed to face a dragon and come out without a scratch, especially impressive as you managed to get that close as well. Now is it too much to hope that I don't see you again for the rest of the year?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Sirius told her and the ghost of a smile touched her lips before she swept off deeper into the tent to deal with the other champions who had managed to acquire a variety of nasty injuries. Harry hopped off the bed as soon as she left, he still couldn't really stand to be in hospitals and he always tried to get out as soon as possible.

Sirius stood with him keeping his arm fixed around his shoulders. Harry didn't really mind, there was a part of him that was embarrassed of course, but he knew just how worried his godfather had been and he knew the gesture was reassuring the animagus and he would do anything to try to help his godfather. Sirius had given him so much and had never asked for anything in return, so anything he could do to repay the huge debt he owed to the man he would do gladly, not to mention, over the summer he had discovered that he liked having a parent to fuss and worry over him. It made him feel cared and loved for in a way he had never experienced back at the Dursleys.

"Shall we go and discover what your scores are pup?" Sirius asked quietly, snapping him out of his thoughts. Harry nodded, trying to pretend his attention hadn't been wandering but Sirius just chuckled and ruffled his hair as he led him from the tent. They emerged to find both Hermione and Ron waiting, along with Neville, Susan and Hannah, worried expressions on each of their faces, "Well done mate," exclaimed Ron and he surged forward, along with Neville to pat him on the back whilst Hermione was torn between worrying and congratulating him.

After reassuring them that he was completely fine and being congratulated several times, Harry with what was now almost an entourage headed towards the stadium, now empty of dragons and stood facing the judging panel. He watched calmly as the numbers were shot into the air, a nine, a second nine, and third nine, a ten, and finally a five.

He heard his friends shout their indignation but Harry couldn't really care less about the biased scoring. He didn't want to have any part in the tournament anyway so the actual scores didn't matter at all, what really mattered was the support all his friends were giving him and his godfather's soft whisper telling him that he was proud of him. All that meant far far more than any stupid tournament.

* * *

Sirius was seething. The first task had finished an hour or so ago, and a few minutes ago Harry had left his quarters to go and enjoy the inevitable party that was taking place in the common room. He couldn't begrudge the child an opportunity to have fun with his friends, and Merlin knows that the boy needed it after the tension of the task. He had been inches from dying and Sirius had never been more thankful that his godson was a parselmouth, he was under no illusions that if Harry hadn't been the chances of him getting out of the nest alive would have been reduced down to almost zero.

He felt his heart speed up again as he remembered just how close he had come to losing his child, and although he knew that Harry was safe, that he hadn't been harmed in anyway, it didn't stop the anger from burning brightly in his chest. They should never have chosen a task that had that potential to become deadly, especially as there was no way to stop the dragon in time if something went wrong, and it very nearly had.

Forcibly he pulled his thoughts back, there was no use stewing over what might have happened to Harry, it would do no good, and he knew that his child had come out unscathed but that did not mean that he was going to let it pass. Narrowing his eyes he strode purposefully out of his quarters, intent on searching down those morons in the Ministry who had dared to commission such a dangerous task.

Crouch and Bagman glanced up as he stalked into the chamber which had been provided for the Ministry Officials for the duration of the tournament. Immediately Bagman turned towards him, a smile starting to form on his face, although it faltered slightly when he caught sight of the murderous expression on Sirius's features, nonetheless he managed to greet Sirius in a cheerful voice, "Good Afternoon Lord Black, I have to say the task was spectacular wasn't it, and young Harry's performance just remarkable, I'm sure you must be so proud."

Sirius smiled back tightly, "Of course, I am immensely proud of my godson." Somehow Bagman managed to miss the warning signs in his voice and face as he continued on blithely, "Such a thrilling task, the dragons were certainly an inspirational idea, and I have to say they put on quite a show."

"Indeed," Sirius's voice was soft and menacing and finally something appeared to be getting through to the man as he suddenly fell silent as he looked at Sirius, something akin to fear gracing his features, "Such a show it was," the sarcasm was thick, "Such a brilliant idea to have Class 5 dangerous creatures brought into a school and then have children face them to 'put on a show' as it were." The words were sharply mocking and he saw Bagman flinch slightly, and he saw Crouch had finally started to pay attention to the confrontation.

"Now then Black," the man interrupted, "There is no place to be questioning a tradition that is fostering cooperation between magical countries." Sirius glared at him, letting his dislike of the man stand out clear on his face.

"A tradition that has claimed lives." He stated flatly, "A tradition that was abandoned because the death toll grew so large, tell me then Crouch," and the bitterness and rage were easy to hear, "Why I should not be questioning this _tradition_ when tragedy was only narrowly missed today?" His voice was piercing and dark eyes bored into the men in front of him. Ludo Bagman chose that moment to bluster in,

"There was no missed tragedy Lord Black, I assure you that the tournament is completely safe."

It was the wrong thing to say. Sirius's eyes went completely flat and rage bubbled up inside him. Harry had nearly died and not only had the ministry had absolutely no safeguards in place they were denying it ever happened. "No missed tragedy," he hissed as the air around him began to crackle with energy, "My son nearly died and you have the gall to say that there was no missed tragedy? A child was entered against their will, something that is of this moment being investigated by the DMLE and you say the tournament is safe?" Black eyes gleamed with anger as he surveyed the two men in front of him, waiting for a reply.

"Tell me," he said finally when neither of them responded, "What were your precautions to ensure that none of the champions were killed or grievously injured?"

"The dragon handlers were on hand to subdue the beasts if they became out of control." Crouch offered somewhat defensively.

"And if they had gone on a rampage half the stands could have been incinerated before they would have been able to be subdued," he pointed out ruthlessly, the building magic and the bite in his voice hitting the message home, "And for the champions in close quarters, if anything had gone wrong and it did, there was nothing they could do, you are only lucky they managed to escape with so few injuries." Sirius squashed the rising fear as his mind skipped back to seeing Harry practically defenceless in that nest. His voice dropped lower, the darkness in his eyes shining so brightly that they both took a step backwards, "And if anything had happened to Harry I promise you that neither of you would still be enjoying the aftermath of the task."

He paused to let the message sink in and he could see the fear in Bagman's eyes and he watched as the man refused to meet his gaze. Crouch on the other hand was glaring at him angrily, "You cannot threaten me Black!"

"I just did," Sirius shot back without missing a beat, the magic flaring around him and the light in his eyes forcing the man to hesitate, "You sent me to hell on earth for twelve years without the courtesy of a trial, you condemned my child to growing up with abusive bastards, and in doing that you hurt him and that is something I will never forgive. I will protect him with everything I have and rest assured if you try to cross me you will find that the whole might of House Black against you. Is that understood?" He was breathing heavily but the light in his eyes and power that laced his voice told both men that he meant every single word.

There was a long pause then finally Crouch nodded. Sirius gazed at them for several more moments. "I hope you ensure you have proper protections for the next task. After all nobody wants anyone to lose their life in this tournament." He left the sentence hanging there and he saw Bagman nodded frantically as he caught the double meaning in the words before hurriedly drawing Crouch's attention, beginning to talk in quick, urgent tones.

Seeing that his message had been received and secure in the knowledge that Bagman at least would do everything to ensure proper precautions were taken, as he was scared of the repercussions that Sirius would call down on him if anything should happen, Sirius nodded shortly and swept out of the room.

The threat to their own power and wellbeing was his main piece of leverage with the various corrupt factions infesting the ministry, the large amounts of political and magical power the House of Black had at their disposal were impressive to say the least. There was a reason people had been so willing to believe that he was a mass murderer. The House of Black had been traditionally dark but the main reason they were so feared, even in the dark circles was their affinity for ambient magic.

It was linked strongly to their emotions, although when necessary a Black could call on the surrounding magic and shape it to their will, although this took a lot of concentration, opposed to when it responded to emotions almost of its own accord. When the magic was like this Sirius knew he could direct it to do anything he wanted with just a single word. It was that power that frightened both supporter and enemy alike and it was also the reason magic kept flaring whenever his anger grew past a certain level. He knew it was a formidable weapon, and one he hoped would be passed to Harry during the adoption. If his child could have a measure of control over the ambient magic he would be able to defend himself even if his wand was taken, and thought Sirius grimly as he passed through the portrait back into his quarters, Harry needed every advantage he could get.

* * *

AN Hope you enjoyed this, thank you for the continuing support, see you soon and please review!


	27. Clues and Dates

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. Extracts from OotP contained, I do not own. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 26 – Clues and Dates**

Harry slammed the book down onto the table in frustration, "Nothing!" he exclaimed, "Not even a single clue that might point me towards anything useful!" He glared at the pages, the tiredness that had been the result of several nights spent in frenzied research and the lack of proper sleep doing nothing but add to his irritation.

He had been scouring the library in his free time with his godfather's help ever since the first task had finished. The golden egg he had managed to retrieve was his only clue for the second task but the only sound it made was an ear-splitting screeching every time it was opened. It wasn't any sort of language either of them recognised so they had been forced to retreat to the world of books, taking as many as possible from the library and then scouring over them in Sirius's quarters but whilst Hermione was completely content to pour over the reference books until she found something Harry had significantly less patience.

He saw Sirius sigh and close his book before coming over to stand beside him, resting a hand on his arm, "How about we try a more practical approach for a bit?" His godfather suggested quietly, "Who knows, casting some spells on it might give us a clue and I could teach you a few curse-breaking spells at the same time." Harry immediately stood, clutching at the table when his head span, his eagerness to go along with Sirius's suggestion plain on his face.

"Can't wait to get rid of the reference books then?" His godfather teased him, chuckling slightly, although there seemed to be a hint of concern in his eyes that was quickly masked when Harry's eyes narrowed playfully and he aimed a blow at the smiling animagus which Sirius's ducked with the ease of long practice. "Hey now," he retorted, catching Harry by the shoulders and pulling him against his side, "Is that any way to treat your godfather?" But although the tone was light Harry instantly looked down, unwilling to meet Sirius's gaze. His godfather was right, he owed far more to Sirius than he could say, and being silly and mucking around was no way to repay the huge debt he owed to his godfather.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, still ashamed, there was no room for being silly when he still had to compete in the tournament. He sensed rather than saw Sirius's frown, then his godfather's fingers captured his chin, tilting his face upwards so he looked into his godfather's eyes. "There's nothing to be sorry about," Sirius said gently, "I didn't mean what I said, in fact I'm pleased that you are comfortable enough to act that way around me and everyone needs to have fun."

Harry shook his head stubbornly, this wasn't a normal situation, "But I can't, I've got to solve this! I can't waste any time, I've got to do everything possible to get through the tournament. I don't want to not prepare and then hurt you. I've got to take this seriously!" The anger and frustration that he had been feeling over the last several days was pouring out in his voice. He felt Sirius sigh then he moved to the sofa, sitting down and gesturing for Harry to join him, and after a moment he followed.

As he settled on the sofa by Sirius's side he felt the weariness that he had been suppressing roll over him in a sudden wave, taking him by surprise. He bit back a yawn as his godfather's arm came out and captured him, tugging him gently against the animagus, holding him in a loose embrace. Another wave of tiredness hit him and Harry leant against his godfather, resting his head on Sirius's shoulder, and this time he didn't miss the concerned glance his godfather shot at him, even as he tightened his grip.

There was pause and Harry found himself just beginning to drift off when Sirius cleared his throat, getting Harry's attention before he began to speak. "I agree that the tournament is serious and that you need to prepare, but it's something I will _not _let you do alone. You're running yourself into the ground trying to research or prepare, and that means," he said, holding up a hand when Harry looked like he was about to interrupt, "You're not getting enough sleep, eating enough and doing things that are not connected to the tournament that relax you or that you enjoy."

He looked sternly down at Harry and he fidgeted a little under the look Sirius was giving him. He knew he couldn't slack off, he had to find out what was happening and then a solution, if he didn't he would hurt Sirius and that was something he was not willing to do, but it seemed that by trying to stop himself from hurting his godfather he was just managing to hurt him more.

"I'm not running myself to the ground," he said quietly, but even to his own ears the words lacked conviction, Harry knew he was completely focussed on the tournament, and that not only had he been staying up until the early hours of the morning to research after he had finished his homework, he had also been having nightmares. The one thing he hadn't been doing was skipping meals, he knew that Sirius watched out for him in the Great Hall and would come and find him if he missed a meal, and once he found him he would take him back to his quarters and give him food and a nutrient potion, making sure he ate and drank everything. Now he thought about it, Sirius hadn't been letting him stay up late either, normally when it approached curfew he would either be sent back to the common room or he would stay in his godfather's quarters and Sirius would chase him to bed about half an hour later. It was only when he was in the common room that he was able to stay up to the early hours of the morning researching.

"You're all but falling asleep on me Harry," his godfather contradicted softly, "It's barely gone six, supper isn't for another hour. It's obvious that you aren't sleeping properly, and haven't been doing so for days." Harry blinked, was it really that early? He supposed he hadn't been paying attention to the time, he'd just been spending all his free time in Sirius's quarters working on the damn egg, and going to meals whenever Ron or Hermione fetched him, or noticed it was time to eat. "When was the last time you flew, played chess or quiddich, or just hung around with your friends?"

Harry paused, trying to remember. He didn't think it had been that long ago but when he was forced to think about it, the only occasions he could come up with were from before the first task. His godfather's voice interrupted his thoughts, "That you have to think about it just proves it has been far too long." Harry didn't say anything, he didn't know what he was supposed to say. He hadn't realised it was so obvious that he was working so hard, and neither did he know how to respond to the concern he could hear clearly in Sirius's voice.

He felt Sirius sigh again and then he was pulled onto his godfather's lap and nestled against Sirius's chest. He relaxed, letting the tiredness he had been fighting to hold at bay sweep through him. Instinctively he burrowed deeper into the embrace, resting his head against the animagus's shoulder. He felt Sirius start to stroke his fingers through his hair as his godfather spoke again, "It hurts me to see you like this pup," he murmured gently, "You're hurting yourself and I have to watch you do it."

Harry felt his cheeks heat as a rush of shame filled him. He hadn't meant to hurt his godfather. "I just want to find a solution," he whispered, voice cracking slightly.

"I know pup," Sirius murmured in response, "But you don't need to work yourself to the ground doing it. I promised I will help you and I'm going to keep that promise. You will not go into that task not knowing what to do and what you are facing. But," his voice turned stern and Harry couldn't meet his godfather's gaze, "I will not let you risk your health as you try to work out the clue."

He paused before he continued, his words and voice chiding and Harry felt his face burn at the rebuke, "You've been staying up to the small hours, doing nothing but research in your free time and that stops now understood?" Harry just nodded, unwilling to look up and see the disappointment in Sirius's eyes as the man continued, "You will go to bed at decent hours, eat regular meals and remember to have some fun and enjoy yourself, as well as preparing for the tournament, understood?"

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat to croak out an answer, "Yes Sirius," he replied, his voice scratchy. He had never been bothered when his teachers or his Aunt and Uncle reprimanded him, he had never been afraid of disappointing them, only of the beatings that his uncle would dish out, the rebuke itself hadn't usually stung but it was far far different to hear the rebuke in his godfather's voice. For the first time he had an adult who cared for him and conversely who's opinions mattered to him and to hear the disappointment in his voice was much worse than anything any teacher could say.

He felt the arms holding him relax, then Sirius's hand came up and gently started to rub his back, calming him down, helping him to relax as Sirius's voice softened once more. "I know you're worried pup, and I know you didn't mean to hurt yourself but you need to trust me and remember that you are not alone now and that I will help you."

And with those words Harry knew his godfather had hit the issue spot on. He had forgotten that he could go to his godfather whenever he needed to, despite Sirius being there and he had somehow slipped back into the mindset of having to do everything himself and as such he had been working as if he couldn't get help. It was too easy to do, before this year he had never had an adult to help him through the problems he had faced and he supposed he had just been to unfamiliar with everything to let Sirius help him properly. "I'm sorry," he murmured, not quite sure which of his failings he was apologising for but knowing he needed to do so nonetheless.

Sirius smiled tenderly at him, "You're forgiven Harry, just remember I am always here for you."

"I will," Harry answered, completely sincerely, and thankful once again that he had been lucky enough to have Sirius as his godfather.

The animagus leant down and kissed his messy hair, "Good." He said quietly.

Harry smiled slightly, then buried himself deeper in Sirius's embrace, closing his eyes and beginning to drift off in the safety and security of his godfather's arms and the knowledge that Sirius loved and cared for him. He was almost asleep when Sirius shook his shoulder lightly, pulling him out of his slumber. "Sirius?" He questioned groggily.

"You need to eat something before you go to bed," his godfather told him gently, "The house-elves have just brought our supper up here, you can go back to sleep once you've eaten."

For a moment Harry considered grumbling but Sirius's rebuke rang in his memory and he swallowed down his complaints. He had disappointed his godfather and he didn't intend to do so again, the tone in Sirius's voice when he had reprimanded him had filled him with shame and it was a feeling he wanted to avoid repeating. Blinking back sleep he forced himself to sit upright, slipping off Sirius's lap and back onto the sofa, although he was still leaning heavily against the animagus. Now that he had almost fallen asleep he didn't want to wake up again. He had been comfortable, warm and safe, and he didn't want to let go of the feeling. Not to mention all his limbs felt leaden and it was an effort even to keep his eyes open.

A tray was placed in his lap and he looked upwards to see concerned grey eyes looking down at him. "You're worse than I thought," he heard Sirius mutter before an arm slipped back around his shoulders, supporting him as he slowly ate his supper. The instant he was finished the tray was removed and his godfather helped him to his feet. "Bed," he said firmly, leading Harry into his room, "And if I see you up before ten tomorrow morning you will be straight back into bed is that clear?"

Harry was too tired to do anything but nod. Instead of waking him the food had had the opposite effect and he was practically asleep on his feet. A few scant minutes later he was safe under the covers as Sirius reached out to tuck him. He knew he should be embarrassed, he wasn't a little child after all but as Sirius tugged the blankets up and tucked him in, pressing a kiss onto his forehead it was easy to forget his embarrassment and to just enjoy the sensation of having someone who loved him deeply, and actually worried about him enough to look after him when he didn't look after himself because his Aunt and Uncle had never cared. It was his last thought before sleep claimed him.

* * *

Harry frowned in concentration as he cast the detection spell at the golden egg. After several nights of going to bed early, eating properly and spending the days doing things that were not related to the tournament whatsoever Sirius had finally allowed him to continue to work on the egg, albeit with restricted hours, only two nights after school and for seven hours at the weekend. He had to admit that he was feeling a lot better for it, and strangely enough, he wasn't as panicky or frustrated as he had been the previous week. It was still slow going but everything was back in proportion now, and he felt a little embarrassed about how worked up he had managed to get in the space of a fortnight.

The spell glanced off the polished metal surface, sharply reminding Harry that he couldn't allow his attention to wander. The detection spell itself was not that difficult, not to mention it was extremely useful because it would list all the spells that had been cast on a particular object however the problem with it was that the caster had to be extremely accurate because the spell would only work if it hit the object in precisely the right place.

He narrowed his eyes as he cast the spell again, focusing all his attention on the egg and a smile of triumph spread across his features as he managed to hit the egg spot on and it started to glow as a quill scratched across a sheet of parchment, recording all the information the spell could glean from the egg.

A few seconds later the scratching stopped and confused Harry reached out and picked up the parchment. He had expecting that it would take a lot longer to discover the enchantments, he didn't think it would have been as simple as to only have a couple of charms on it. He glanced down the paper, noting the ordinary protection charms that were designed to keep it safe when it was in the nest made up the bulk of the spells. Out of the entire list only two things really stood out, firstly a recording charm which indicated that whatever that screeching actually was, it was a real sound not some sort of encrypted code, and secondly a water based charm that he couldn't quite divine the meaning off.

Harry looked at it for a few more moments, puzzling over the clues the parchment had given him before he turned to his godfather who had been standing behind him reading the parchment over his shoulder, a question forming on his lips but Sirius held his hand up to stall him. "I don't know precisely what the second charm is pup," he told him, "But it reminded me of something, sometimes sounds or magical languages can only be understood in a certain environment, and from what I can see here, I'm guessing that whatever that screeching is will be a little easier to understand if you listen to it underwater."

"How am I supposed to do that?" He asked, looking at the large golden egg which was sitting innocently on the table in front of him. It certainly didn't seem like an easy thing to do, particularly as the dorms and Sirius's quarters only had showers. Sirius's brow furrowed for a moment before it smoothed out, "There's a room, behind a tapestry on the seventh floor that will become anything you ask for, and if you asked for a swimming pool or even a deep bath you'd be able to listen to it easily."

"I've never seen a room like that up there, or one on the Map?" He asked slightly puzzled but Sirius was already shaking his head,

"It isn't on the Map, for some reason it would never show up when we tried to mark it, and the room only appears if you walk in front of that tapestry with the dancing trolls on it three times, thinking of what you need."

Harry looked at Sirius oddly for a moment but then, remembering he had seen far stranger things happen when magic was involved and knowing that his godfather was the person he would least expect to lie to him, particularly about something important, he shrugged and complied. "I'll go and try it out, it was the tapestry with the dancing trolls right?" Sirius nodded in answer.

"I expect you'll be back in half an hour or so, unless you wanted me to come with you?" Harry shook his head in response. He knew that the offer was made kindly but he needed to prove to himself that he was able to work on the egg without driving himself into a panic. He saw his godfather smile at him in understanding, "Go and figure it out pup, then come back and tell me what you discovered." He told him and Harry smiled in response. Even though he needed to prove to himself that he was capable of working independently on the egg, it warmed his heart to know of the unconditional support Sirius offered him without a second thought.

Picking the egg up he headed towards the portrait hole but not before he sent a murmured, "I'll be back soon," in the direction of his godfather and saw the man smile tenderly at him in response before sitting down at the desk and starting to work his way through the pile of essays on the desk.

Harry headed purposefully up to the seventh floor, his eyes peeled as he searched for the tapestry. Finding it, he covertly glanced up and down the corridor, checking that nobody was coming, he didn't want anyone like Malfoy seeing him entering the room, as the last thing he wanted was for somebody to come and bother him when he was listening to the egg in the bath. Quickly he strode up and down in front of the wall three times, focussing his thoughts on a large bath, almost a jacuzzi, where he would be able to listen to the egg without going out of his depth, as swimming had been something the Dursleys had never bothered to spend money to teach him to do.

As he complete his third pass a large metal door materialised in the wall opposite the tapestry, and checking his surroundings once more Harry pushed the door open and stepped inside. The first thing he noticed was that the room was exactly what he had asked for. A large stone tub, about as big as the Jacuzzi's he had seen through the windows of the sports centre back in Little Whinging , was sunk into the floor in the centre of the room, tendrils of steam rising up from it. From where he was standing it looked to be about waist deep and the bubbles that covered its surface and the steam rising from the surface made the whole pool look very inviting.

Harry quickly changed into a pair of swimming trunks that appeared helpfully on one of the benches that ran around the edges of the room, before sinking into the warm water. He enjoyed the sensation for a few minutes before his mind returned to the task in hand and he plucked the egg of the edge of the tub, placing it under the water and sucking in a deep breath before ducking his head under the water and opening the egg, braced for the awful screeching he was expecting to erupt.

But instead, beautiful, ethereal music floated into his ears.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching, ponder this:_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_An hour long you'll have to look,_

_And to recover what we took,_

_But past an hour – the prospect's black_

_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."_

With a gasp he surfaced, sucking in oxygen as he contemplated what he had just heard. Sirius had been right, the clue was easy to hear once he had put the egg under water, and it seemed his suspicion it was a magical creature speaking was correct. It took several dips and a helpful piece of parchment and quill that the room provided before he was certain he had got the whole message written down correctly.

Thinking about it he realised that the clue was actually quite straight forward and it gave him a lot more information than it first appeared to. To start with he knew the duration of the task, one hour and he knew it would take place underwater, and therefore the Black Lake as it was the only place that could stage a large underwater task in Hogwarts. He would be searching for something, precisely what it was the message didn't tell him, although it did him a clue, namely the fact he would sorely miss it, which indicated it would be something of value to him that the judges knew about. So probably not his invisibility cloak, photograph album, or even his Firebolt. But thinking about it, he realised the precise object didn't matter at the moment - heck they might even ask him to give them something to hide - what was much more pressing was the fact that he had to be able to find a way to breathe underwater for an hour, and that he needed to become a competent swimmer before February.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts. There was no use getting bogged down in everything that he still had to do, that was the sort of thinking that had led to him neglecting his own needs so completely just a week ago, and if he looked at it realistically he knew that he had come a huge way in the last half an hour, not to mention that he knew Sirius would be able to help him, so there was no need to panic. He reminded himself forcefully that he did have nearly two months before the Second Task, and surely that would be long enough to work out some sort of plan and practice one, especially with Sirius's help. After all, he had only had a couple of weeks to sort out how he would get past the Horntail, and they had managed that time so there was no reason why he couldn't be ready this time around, particularly when he had so much longer to prepare.

* * *

His intuition had been right; Sirius was easily able to help him out in regards for the second task. The moment he had told his godfather what the clue was, the animagus had immediately come up with several solutions, a bubblehead charm, gillyweed and a potion; seemingly many of the Marauders pranks had required the ability to breathe for long periods of time either underwater or in particularly foul smelling environments.

With solutions provided all Harry had then required was practice and as such he had two swimming lessons a week in the Room of Requirement, coupled with practice sessions for the bubblehead charm, the other compounds and non-verbal casting. It was Sirius's intention that he should go into the task with every possible way of breathing underwater, so if something went wrong he would have plenty of backup, plus the ability to cast spells should he need to. The last thing his godfather wanted was a repeat of the dragon situation.

But the other thing Harry suddenly found himself with was a lot more free time, with only about four hours a week dedicated to the tournament he discovered that keeping up to date with his homework was no longer a struggle and that he even had plenty of time to do his own things afterwards. However free time was something he could never hang onto for very long.

The announcement of the Yule Ball had sent most of the boys, including Harry into a perpetual state of nervousness and gloom, and he had seized the first opportunity after the announcement to escape to his godfather's quarters, knowing that the advice he would get from Sirius would be a lot more useful than anything the older boys or his dorm mates told him. But even if having to ask his godfather would be highly embarrassing, Harry knew it would be far more embarrassing if he got to the Yule Ball and didn't have a date and didn't have a clue about how to dance.

He hadn't been able to look Sirius in the eye when he rather haltingly explained what his problem was but thankfully his godfather hadn't laughed,

"_From what you've told me I'm guessing you've never asked anyone out before?" He'd asked kindly, sitting down on the sofa and patting the seat next to him. Face flaming Harry shook his head, perching a little uncomfortably on the edge of the indicated seat. Sirius just smiled gently at him,_

"_It isn't as hard as you think it's going to be pup, the girls will be just as nervous as you, waiting for somebody to ask them and remember this probably won't be the person you end up marrying, or the person who will become your girlfriend. The best advice I can give you is, unless you are sure there is somebody you fancy who fancies you in return, you should ask somebody you know well, who isn't already somebody's girlfriend and who you will be able to talk easily and have a good time with."_

_Harry bit his lip, the advice was certainly good, he definitely didn't want to spend the whole evening with somebody he couldn't talk to at all and whilst he had a crush on Cho Chang he realised he actually knew very little about her, and as for her fancying him in return he was fairly sure she probably didn't. He knew that if he asked her he was liable to embarrass himself totally, not to mention he thought he had spotted her at Hogsmede with Cedric, and that probably meant she would be asked out by him and he didn't want the awkwardness of being rejected._

"_How do I, you know, um, ask somebody?" He stuttered out._

"_Firstly be polite," Sirius answered, "That was probably where James went wrong for six years, yelling 'Evans will you go with me to Hogsmede' across the hall at breakfast is not a good idea if you actually want them to accept." Harry chuckled at that, and some of his discomfort at the topic evaporated as his godfather continued, "And secondly be honest and be yourself. You want the girl to go with Harry Potter, not the Boy-Who-Lived and thirdly be nice about it. Ask her nicely after lessons or in a break or something and if she says no just smile and thank her before considering who else you might want to ask."_

_Harry nodded, it sounded a lot easier now he had talked to his godfather, and if he thought about it, he knew there were a few people it would be nice to ask and who he thought wouldn't reject him._

_There was another problem though, "Um, I also, um, don't know how to dance?" He phrased it somewhat awkwardly but Sirius didn't appear phased in the slightest._

"_I'll teach you pup, knowing how to dance was a requirement for any Black, one of the few parts of 'pureblood' training that was even remotely enjoyable. It won't be a problem." Harry smiled, at least now he knew he wouldn't make a complete fool of himself._

"_Thanks Sirius," he said sincerely. His godfather had merely smiled and reached over to ruffle his hair._

And so dance lessons had also been added to his schedule, although they stopped being private when both Ron and Neville found out and begged to join, they had quickly become a highly amusing part of the week as the three boys laughed and joked around even as Sirius taught them the basics and Harry found he was immensely enjoying the chance to act like a normal teenager, without having to worry about saving the school or the tournament for a few short hours.

But whilst his dancing was coming along and he was becoming reasonably competent, he still didn't have a date for the ball which was why he was waiting nervously in front of the Charms classroom waiting for the Hufflepuffs to emerge. He'd thought a lot about what Sirius had said and had quickly come to the conclusion that aside from Hermione, who he already knew was going with Krum, the only other girls he really knew were Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and to a certain extent Ginny Weasely.

But out of those three Susan Bones was the person he found it easiest to talk to and get along with. She, unlike most of the sheep was not enamoured by his fame, and after meeting her Aunt he understood precisely why that was, but over the last term she had also become a good friend, especially when she had been one of the few, along with the Weasleys, Hermione and Neville who believed that he hadn't put his name in the cup. He hadn't a clue if she would ever be anything but a good friend, but for the Yule Ball a good friend and somebody he could have a good time with was somebody he needed much more than a crush.

Spotting her coming out of Flitwick's class he hurried over, swallowing down his nerves as he did so. No matter how easy Sirius had made it sound, asking a girl out, even to a social event where everyone needed dates was still hard! "Would you mind if I had a word with you in private Susan?" He asked politely, if this was going to go belly up, he would rather it didn't happen whilst everyone was watching.

She smiled at him and nodded, turning to murmur something to Hannah before she stepped into a nearby classroom after him. Harry ran his hand through his hair in a nervous gesture he'd picked up from Sirius as he sucked in a deep breath. Susan was watching him, her eyebrow tilted in curiosity, and he swallowed, it was suddenly much harder than he thought it would be and he dreaded to think how hard it would have been to ask somebody he had a crush on.

"I was wondering if, well, if you would like to accompany me to the Yule Ball?" He managed to stutter out, dropping his gaze the instant he finished speaking, a flush staining his cheeks as he waited for a reply. He didn't have to wait long.

"I'd be happy to Harry," he breathed out a sigh of relief, then she grinned somewhat impishly at him, "The offer couldn't have come at a better time," she told him teasingly, "Ernie Macmillian has been trying to catch my eye, and whilst I've nothing against him as a person, pompous is too kind a word to describe him." Harry couldn't suppress a snort at that, he completely agreed with the assessment, "At least with you I'll be able to have some decent conversation."

"Thanks Susan," he said sincerely. She just smiled at him and shrugged,

"I probably should be saying thanks to you, now I know I'll be able to spend the evening with a friend, just don't step on my toes Potter or I'll get Aunty to arrest you!" They both laughed and the last of the awkwardness vanished as they both headed off to find their other friends and make a start on the homework, that despite it only being a couple of weeks from Christmas, the teachers were still piling on them.

* * *

AN, And that's the next instalment folks. And before I get any grief about the Yule Ball, I will say this, I have not yet decided on what pairing this story will have, whether I'll go with canon or do something different, so by that same account, just because Harry is going with Susan does not mean that I'm pairing them together, I just thought as she knows Harry more in my story, she would be a suitable match for the Yule Ball as I think in canon, for Harry the Yule Ball was an unmitigated disaster.

Anyway, rant over, hope you enjoyed it and please review!


	28. Christmas

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Anything you recognise from GOF is JK Rowlings. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 27 – Christmas**

Harry stood nervously shifting from foot to foot in the entrance hall as he waited for Susan to come down from the Hufflepuff dorms. Beside him both Neville and Ron were also doing a fine imitation of men waiting for their doom to be announced. It was only half an hour before the ball was due to start and the girls still hadn't exited the dorms as the boys waited, increasingly nervously as the start grew closer and closer.

"Remind me," Ron asked sarcastically, "Who thought that a Yule Ball would be a good idea?"

"Not to mention," Harry added, "Who came up with the idea that the Champions should have to open the ball with a dance?" The three boys shared a grimace,

"I pity you mate," Ron said, "At least if I muck up the dancing, I'll do it in a crowd, and the only person who'll notice is Lavender, and I doubt she'll care as long as I don't step on her feet. If you muck up in the first dance the whole hall will be watching." Harry threw a glare in his direction which meant shut up before I do something drastic. Ron obviously got the message for he didn't say anything further on the subject, instead turning the topic to the girls.

"Why do they have to take so long to get ready?" he questioned, glancing upwards as if he expected some divine power to provide the answer, although surprisingly Neville spoke up, "I asked Hannah, and she said that people expect girls to look really good, if they don't people look down on them, so it takes a lot of time to get ready as they are trying to make sure everything is perfect."

Ron and Harry were saved from coming up with a reply by the arrival of the girls. As they came down the stairs in small groups Harry heard Ron let out a low whistle, and he agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment. Every girl it seemed had dressed up for the occasion and he had to admit that girls he had never previously looked at twice were pretty, even girls he had known since first year, in particular the Gryffindor Chasers showed him very clearly that they were definitely girls, and each in their own way had a type of beauty. Around him he noticed many of the boys had gone slack jawed, and many were blushing as they greeted their dates.

At that moment his attention was distracted as Susan walked down to join him, Hermione and Hannah with her. He had never seen any of his female friends dressed up before or ever really thought of them as beautiful, but now all he could see was how radiant they all were. He swallowed hard as they reached him, and beside him he heard both Ron and Neville doing the same thing. Just as he had been taught he extended his arm, "You look lovely Susan," he told her as she took his arm, her cheeks slightly pink, "You too Hermione, Hannah." The two girls smiled at him before heading off to find their respective dates.

"Champions we need you in position," McGonagall's voice rose of the din, "Everyone else could you please make your way into the Great Hall, the ball is about to start." There was a general mumbling then couples began to make their way through the double doors. As they moved into position, Susan tapped him on the arm, "Do you actually know how to dance Harry?" she asked quietly.

"I think so," he whispered back, "Sirius has been teaching us a formal waltz, I don't think I'm very good but at least I won't step on your toes," he paused for a second then added, "I hope." She gave him a startled look then she started to laugh, prompting Hermione to glance over at them, raising her eyebrow in a silent query. Susan just shook her head, pulling herself back together just in time for McGonagall to usher them into the Hall for the opening dance.

Thankfully the dance went well and he managed to remember all the steps Sirius had drilled into him, and he hadn't stepped on Susan's toes even once. However it was still with a healthy dose of relief that he sat down at the Head Table with Susan, the rest of the Champions and the teachers for the meal. As he took his seat Sirius caught his eye and mouthed well done, then smiled gently at him. Harry managed to smile in return, the slight gesture relaxing him enough to banish the last remnants of his nerves.

Dumbledore raised his goblet and in his traditional batty style he opened the evening and announced the feast although Harry couldn't prevent the anger that welled up inside him when the man made eye contact. Sirius had explained what had happened the Halloween night of 1981, and Harry couldn't help but blame the man for what had happened, he had left him at the Dursleys, never checked up on him, hadn't bothered to get Sirius a trial, and hadn't bothered when Harry had found out the truth last summer. Looking at everything it was hard not to be bitter at the old man, and he knew Sirius felt the same.

A slight nudge in his ribs pulled his attention back to the present and he saw Susan looking at him in concern, "Are you alright?" she asked quietly "You spaced out for a few moments there." Harry managed to smile, albeit a bit unconvincingly,

"I'm fine," he told her, "I just got lost in my thoughts there for a second." She raised one eyebrow but didn't comment before swiftly changing the subject. Around them the conversation flowed freely, and Harry was able to leave the darker thoughts behind as he just concentrated on getting to know the other champions and having a good time. Although he had spent some time with Cedric practicing some of the spells, he had never really spoken to Fleur or Krum and he didn't actually know Cedric well either, although what he did know all pointed towards the boy being the epitome of what a Hufflepuff should be.

The time seemed to speed by and soon the meal was finished and everyone spilled out onto the dance floor as the Weird Sisters started to play, funky jazzy numbers that were completely different to the solemn formality of the earlier waltz. Harry too made his way down to the floor accompanied by Susan and they were joined by Hermione and Krum, as well as Ron, Lavender, Neville and Hannah. Ron seemed to be slightly star struck as they danced, but to his credit he wasn't staring openly and was trying to concentrate more on getting the steps right then the fact he was mere metres from the Quiddich star.

Harry was enjoying himself immensely as he danced, becoming more relaxed about it the longer he did so. It helped a lot that Susan wasn't berating him for his mistakes but rather was willing to keep a conversation going as they chatted almost aimlessly about a myriad of different subjects. About half an hour later the decision was taken unanimously that it was time for a break and the couples drifted apart, the girls heading for a table, laughing and chatting as they went, whilst Ron, Harry and Neville made a beeline for the drinks table.

Once they were all equipped with butterbeers they seated themselves at a table, watching the other couples still out on the dance floor, and occasionally commenting and laughing at the boys who were lucky (or perhaps not so) with their choice of date. Already they had noticed one shouting match, and enjoyed a good laugh at Fred and George, who had evidently decided 'normal' dancing was not really their forte, and true to form had decided to liven things up a bit with a variety of crazy routines, with the odd prank mixed in for good measure.

"Having fun there?" An amused voice came from behind them, and Harry turned to see the smiling face of his godfather, grey eyes sparkling as he took the last spare seat. "Yes," Harry replied, a slight note of surprise in his voice, "I hadn't expected that I'd enjoy it as much as I am, but sometimes it's nice to be wrong." He grinned at Sirius and his godfather chuckled, before reaching out to ruffle his hair. Harry ducked away, a flush creeping up his cheeks. As much as he loved the affection he was shown by his godfather, he was still a teenage boy and he did draw the line at gestures like that in public when he didn't need the reassurance.

Sirius just watched him, his eyes dancing with amusement. "You do realise," he said, when Harry was safely out of reach and had settled on glaring playfully at his godfather, "That it is my job to embarrass you, particularly in front of your friends. It is one of the requirements after all." Harry continued to glare, but he couldn't stop his lips from betraying him as they quirked upwards into a slight smile at the reminder of the adoption which was going to take place on Christmas Day, a week from the Yule Ball.

"Is there any particular reason you came over?" Harry asked when the next lull in the conversation came around, he was enjoying his godfather's presence but he was also aware that Sirius tried hard not to show favouritism within lessons, or when he was on duty, something he was thankful for as he didn't want to be singled out. However all the teachers were on duty tonight, so there was probably something wrong if Sirius had approached him so obviously.

His intuition was right as his godfather sighed, a slightly dark look clouding his eyes. "Minerva told me that Rita Skeeter has managed to procure an invitation and I don't trust her not to try anything, despite my warning. She has a reputation for being ruthless, and a nasty habit of spinning the facts to create a scandal. I hope my presence will dissuade her from trying anything with you, but I thought it would be better to put you on your guard just in case."

Harry grimaced and nodded his appreciation of the warning. It put a slight damper on the evening but he preferred to know and then be prepared than have something sprung on him when he wasn't expecting it.

"I think the girls want us to dance again," Neville suddenly said, and Harry glanced up to see that the girls had seemingly finished whatever they were doing and were heading towards their table with a definite air of purpose. He had to agree with Neville's assessment and he turned to his two friends, "Are you coming?" He asked, "Or should we wait until they come here and drag us up?" Ron shrugged but reluctantly began to climb to his feet,

"I think they'd be madder if they had to wait for us to get up," he commented, "And I've been on the sharp end of Hermione's tongue too often to look forward to that."

Harry grinned somewhat ruefully, "You and me both." He said as he smoothed his dress robes, relieved that he had managed to escape Mrs Weasley's idea of fashion. They had managed to get Ron's robes looking decent by dint of some judiciously applied cutting charms, a few permanent colour changing charms and quite a lot of help from an eager Dobby, although the elf refused to touch the clothes he was still extremely adept at fixing a seam and re-hemming a robe with magic, but it didn't stop Harry from being glad that he hadn't had to alter his own robes to make them even vaguely presentable.

Grinning at each other the three boys headed off to meet their partners once more and had soon rejoined the dance, although this time partners were swapped and there was a lot of laughter and friendly banter being exchanged as everyone eschewed the formal movements for a much more relaxed and easy style. Harry was enjoying himself immensely and thus was greatly irritated when he heard the soft clearing of a throat behind him and he saw the figure of Rita Skeeter, her blonde curls bouncing and an acid green quill poised in her fingertips.

"I don't want an interview," he ground out, glaring at her but she appeared completely unfazed.

"I'm sure you could give me a quick word, after all the readers are dying to hear personally from the famed Boy-Who-Lived." Harry's eyes went flat at the title. The thing he hated most about the Wizarding World, aside for the pureblood supremacy crap, and Voldemort was the title and fame they had seen fit to thrust upon him. Why couldn't they get it through their heads that he would far rather have had his parents than any sort of fame or recognition?

"Here is one word," he tossed out although his voice was icy, "Goodbye."

Her eyes hardened as he turned his back on her but Rita Skeeter was nothing if not determined and she quickly turned to the rest of the teens who had paused in their dancing to watch the confrontation. "I'm sure there is an equally unique position that you occupy, what it is like being a friend of the Boy-Who-Lived as he faces tasks beyond imagining in the Triwizard Tournament? What insights does your friendship allow you to gain into the life of the Boy-Who-Lived, or perhaps you could shed some light on the day to day life of our hero here?" She paused for breath, her eyes surveying the teens with a predatory gleam, her fingers twitching on her quill in anticipation.

Hermione was the first to speak, "There is nothing I wish to say to you Miss Skeeter," the mockery in her voice as she spoke the woman's name unmistakable, "Harry has expressed his wish for you to leave him alone and I for one am not going to go behind his back to talk about something he does not wish to share!"

"That goes for me too," That was from Ron and the cry was quickly echoed by the rest of the teens, as the group unconsciously tightened around Harry, presenting a united front to the vicious reporter. There was a flash of something in Skeeter's eyes, Harry couldn't quite identify it but the disappointment and anger pulsing around the woman was unmistakable and he realised that he had added another name to his list of enemies, and perhaps she was the one who, aside from Lucius Malfoy, wielded the most influence in the Wizarding World, particularly as most wizards were sheep who would believe anything as long as it was printed in the paper.

"I do not appear to see any of these children's guardians here, nor do I see any written consent," The voice was unmistakable and so was the cold edge to it as Sirius Black strode up behind the blonde reporter, "Please correct me if I am wrong, but I believe you are trying to accost these children and interview them illegally."

Rita had frozen when Sirius had first spoken but now she half-turned, "Lord Black," she greeted stiffly, "I did not realise you would take offense at my actions, I am merely doing my job after all."

Sirius smiled, but the smile was all teeth and there was not a shred of warmth in it as he stared down at the unfortunate reporter, his eyes glinting and his voice deceptively mild. "I believe I made my opinions know the last time you tried to interview my godson. As I recall I told you to stay away from Harry unless you had my permission to interview him, something I know you do not have." He raised one eyebrow, daring her to contradict him.

Skeeter had backed off a little when he had first confronted her, the Black Lord's sudden presence taking her by surprise but now she had got over her shock she was rallying. "The Boy-Who-Lived is a public figure, entered into an international tournament," she shot back, "It is the public's right to know about him and such it is a requirement that I interview him!"

There were several gasps from the teens and several shot glances at Harry, trying to gauge his reaction and potentially do damage control if his temper got the best of him but they need not have worried. Harry was standing there with a rather feral grin on his face as he watched the confrontation, knowing that his godfather was far better suited to chewing her out than he was.

"Be that as it may," Sirius voice had gone soft now, but the danger that laced every word was unmistakable, "Harry is still a minor, and regardless of whom the wizarding world has made him out to be, he is still a child and more specifically, my child and nobody has the right to know anything about him, much less interview him. He is entitled to his privacy."

Maybe it was years of sticking her nose in business that was not her own and getting away with it, or the fact that nobody had ever managed to press charges against her that stuck, but Rita Skeeter seemed to miss all the warnings and danger signs as she ploughed on. "He lost all right to privacy when he voluntarily became famous!"

The temperature the hall dropped several degrees and Sirius's eyes turned black as he digested the last sentence, his ire forcing the woman to take several steps backwards. "Might I remind you why Harry became famous?" He said, his voice icy, "He became famous when he only a baby, when he had only started to speak a few months prior, he became famous because a psychopath who had just killed his parents failed to kill him." By now the entire hall was hanging on his every word.

"As much as he hates the fact, it is true he is famous but everyone seems to forget this was never something he chose, never something he wanted. He paid the ultimate price for that fame, he lost his parents, lost his family, buying thirteen years of peace in the process but somehow nearly every single one of you has the gall to think that he still owes you something!"

His voice rang out and there were many uneasy looks drifting between the students and even some of the adults in the hall were looking ashamed. They had all been so caught up in having a saviour, by the fact that Voldemort had been vanquished that they had forgotten that he was only a child and deserved to be protected, and he wasn't the person who ought to be doing the protecting.

Sirius's eyes were fixed on the reporter who was clutching her quill so hard that it had almost snapped. "My godson is not a political prop or a source of sales for your paper," He told her, his voice agate hard and the look in his eyes daring her to make one false move, "You come in here, demand things of him in one of the few places he should expect to be safe, things and information you have no right to and I will not stand for it." His gaze roved the packed hall, his eyes hard and unforgiving, "This is your last warning, leave my godson alone or face the consequences." Nobody could doubt the conviction and strength in his voice. Anyone who messed with Harry would have Sirius Black to deal with, gone were the days where the boy-who-lived had nobody to stand up for him and people could do and write what they liked about him. The message had been received loud and clear by everyone in the hall.

"I believe you have no more business here Miss Skeeter." The words were polite but the implied threat was enough to send the blonde reporter scurrying away. The Black Lord had won this encounter and if she didn't want to face retribution that would surely be coming her way she would have to lay low for a while, printing only information she knew to be the truth about Harry, and do her digging in a form she couldn't be connected to, and under a pen name that would leave her in the clear, but still for the moment she would lie low. There was nothing to be gained by bringing Black's wrath down on her head.

Sirius's eyes did not leave her until she had exited the hall but once he was sure she had gone he turned back to Harry, "Sorry about that pup, but some people need to be taught a lesson, particularly where it concerns your privacy." But Harry was already shaking his head,

"There's nothing to be sorry about," he said softly, "I'm glad you stood up for me," Unspoken were the words that nobody had ever done so before. "And," he added, his face turning a little impish, "It's better that you shouted at her rather than me, if I'd shouted I'd probably have ended up with detention!" Sirius's bark like laugh rang out across the hall and it broke the tension that had been building up ever since the confrontation had started and people began to return to their previous activities as a new song rang out into the hall, dispelling the silence almost instantly.

The rest of the ball passed without incident and it was a happy troop of teenagers that climbed wearily up to their dorms just after midnight, they could all say they had enjoyed the evening immensely and that they were certainly going to have a long lie-in the following morning.

* * *

Harry wandered back up to the school having just seen most of his friends off on the Hogwarts Express. The Yule Ball had been held the week before Christmas and the train had left at eleven the following morning so that all the students who wanted to could go back home for Christmas, the younger ones having gone the week before. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations had also headed homewards for three weeks and the castle which had seemed so full the previous term was all but empty in comparison.

Harry of course wasn't heading home because Sirius had to stay in the castle over the festive period, but he had still moved into his quarters for the remainder of the holidays. It wasn't home but he would be with Sirius and that was what really mattered. It was going to be a little lonely in Hogwarts without his friends, and that was also part of the reason he had moved to Sirius's quarters, being alone in the Gryffindor dorms would not have been a pleasant way to spend the holiday, whereas when he was in Sirius's quarters he would have his godfather with him.

He did have some homework to do over the break but the main project he was working on was the adoption potion. They had started to work on it the previous week, but it was the last week before they could use it that it was really intensive to brew. Between them Sirius and Harry were spending up to four hours a day just working on the potion and occasionally they had to get up in the middle of the night to tend to it, but neither had complained. For both of them the potion represented something far too precious to be treated lightly, their ability to become a real family, in the eyes of the law, magic and blood.

He smiled as he said the password and stepped through the portrait, although he had looked forward to Christmas after his first year at Hogwarts, still this would be the first Christmas he would be able to spend with someone who was his family, and needless to say he was eagerly anticipating every minute of it.

* * *

Sirius carefully poured the last ingredients into the potion, one vial of blood each from Harry and himself, stirred the potion seven times anticlockwise before the potion turned a deep shimmering red. He smiled, pleased, as he looked up to meet the excited eyes of his godson, the potion had just turned the correct colour, indicating it had been brewed correctly. Now all it needed was to simmer for two hours before they could bottle it ready for use.

There were only a few things that Sirius felt he had to explain to his godson before they took the potion the next day, he doubted anything he would say would change Harry's mind, but he felt Harry should know precisely what the potion would do to him, as it was slightly more than just making Harry his blood son.

He glanced over at the teen, and saw the boy was rather unenthusiastically poking a quill at the potions essay he had yet to finish as he waited until it was time for them to bottle the adoption potion. He cleared his throat and immediately Harry's eyes flickered up to meet his own, a question in their green depths.

"There are a couple of things I want to discuss with you about the potion pup." Harry tilted his head to the side slightly, betraying his confusion and curiosity even as his attention was firmly fixed on his godfather. In response to the silent question Sirius continued, "It isn't anything bad, it's just something you should be aware of. The potion will make you my blood son, but that also means some of the family traits will or could be passed down to you.

Harry's brow furrowed, "What do you mean?" he asked quietly. Sirius frowned slightly, wondering how much detail he would have to go into. From the lessons he had given Harry on Wizarding Culture over the summer he was aware that the teen knew very little about the world he had been born into, only really what he had had personal experience of, or what Sirius had taught him. Which meant of course that he would have to start from the very beginning.

"Do you have any idea why the purebloods think that they are superior to others pup?" Harry's face betrayed his surprise at the apparent change of subject but he still shook his head in response to the question.

"The answer lies in the old magic, many of the older families have special magical gifts or affinities that are inherited traits, you already know of some, Slytherin's is parseltongue, Gryffindor's is magical swordmanship and the Potter's have an affinity for defensive magic. A muggleborn cannot have an inherited gift which is why purebloods, some half bloods often believe they are superior." He saw Harry start to frame a question and he held up his hand, stopping the question from fully forming.

"That does not mean that a muggleborn witch or wizard can't have a gift which can become an inherited trait, although more often than not they have a latent gift that reaches its potential in their children, an example is my cousin Tonks, her dad is able to manipulate his appearance slightly, but Dora is a full metamorphus, and that trait will probably be passed onto her children." He paused for breath and Harry took the opportunity to edge in a question of his own,

"Why are you telling me this Sirius, it's interesting but I don't see what it has to do with the potion?"

"I'm getting to that Harry," Sirius told him softly, the smile on his face removing any sting the remark might have had, "The Black's also have a gift, in our case it is a strong affinity for ambient magic, what that basically means is that we have a measure of control over the surrounding magic in the air and the magic that is infused in everything, and if we concentrate hard enough we can force it to do our bidding, although usually it is linked to our emotions, for example when my anger goes past as certain level the magic in the air and the surroundings will respond."

"So it's a sort of wandless magic then?" Harry questioned and Sirius nodded immediately.

"Yes, albeit one that is a lot more temperamental, a lot more powerful and mainly linked to emotion and need," his voice and eyes turned pensive, "There was a reason many were so willing to believe I went over to Voldemort, this sort of magic is almost impossible to counter, but also a lot of my family have fuelled it using anger and hate. It frightens people pup,"

"It doesn't frighten me," Harry said stubbornly, the fire and determination in his eyes unmistakable, "It's just something you can do, and anyway I know you'd never hurt me!"

Sirius couldn't help himself, he reached out and pulled the teen into a half hug, one which was eagerly returned. They stayed like that for several moments before Sirius spoke again, "Thank you Harry, but the reason I'm telling you this is that the potion will not only make you my son, there is also a fairly good chance it will transfer the ability to you, particularly as I am Lord Black, and you are my only child."

Harry considered it for a moment, before smiling at his apprehensive godfather. "It doesn't matter to me Sirius, if I get the ability it will only serve to further prove that I am your son too, and it will help in the tasks or if I get in a bad situation again." His godfather let out a relieved breath, and for a moment it looked like he was about to say something further but he seemed to change his mind at the last minute, merely reaching out to ruffle Harry's hair as the teen turned back to his potions homework.

* * *

Any illusions that he would have a peaceful start to Christmas Day were dispelled at the (to his mind) unearthly hour of seven in the morning when a wet nose poked against his cheek and a furry body pounced onto the quilt. "Geroff Padfoot," Harry muttered, still half asleep and he heard a deep chuckle echo from above him.

"Time to wake up pup," the warm voice commanded and blinking blearily Harry forced the sleep from his eyes to come face to face with the blurry figure of his godfather. He sent a half hearted scowl at the animagus, but Sirius just chuckled once again and handed him his glasses. "The fire's already burning in the sitting room, all it needs now is a boy to come and investigate the presents that have been left under the tree. Do you have any idea where I might find one seeing as you don't seem to be interested." The teasing tone was evident in his godfather's voice but Harry's only response was a poorly aimed swat in Sirius's direction.

Still smiling at him Sirius stepped out of the way with ease, turning and catching hold of Harry's arm in the next second, pulling the boy to his feet and trapping him in his arms. Harry squirmed for a bit but quickly realising Sirius was much stronger than he was and that really he didn't mind being held by his godfather, he gave up, letting himself pout up at the animagus when Sirius still didn't release him. "You attacked me first," his godfather told him, his voice rich with amusement, "And I think it's only fair that I get a chance to retaliate."

The tickle attack that commenced took Harry by surprise, and before he knew it he was doubled over, trying in vain to protect his sides and his stomach from his godfather's merciless fingers. "Stop...Siri...please," he managed to gasp out between peals of laughter. His godfather paused for a moment considering and Harry took the opportunity to try and escape but he didn't get far before and large black dog collided with him from behind, knocking both of them to the floor.

Harry lay there winded as Padfoot transformed back into his godfather who looked down at him, his eyes sparkling with his amusement. "Ready to open your presents Harry?" He asked, reaching down to help the teen to his feet. Harry took the proffered hand, allowing Sirius to haul him to his feet, smiling despite himself. It was extremely hard to stay annoyed at his godfather.

The morning sped by as the presents were unwrapped and jokes and gifts were exchanged. Floo calls were sent across to the Burrow and to Remus with messages of thanks and well wishing, and generally the whole morning was spent in a mixture of joy and fun, but it was the beginning of the afternoon that Harry had really been looking forward to.

They'd cleared a large area in the sitting room, making sure everything important had temporally been removed to one of their rooms. The Blood Adoption was one of the older potions, and like many of the older and emotion based magics like the patronus charm, it could become fairly powerful, particularly if the emotions powering the adoption were strong and neither of them wanted anything to accidentally go wrong or interfere.

Soon everything was ready and Sirius went into his study, carefully taking the two vials from the store cupboard and carrying them through into the sitting room. Smiling gently at his godson he had only one last warning, "The potion is likely to create some odd effects, so don't be scared if anything strange happens pup. The potion is extremely powerful as it affects both your body and your magic so it will be more than a little disorientating." Harry nodded obediently but inside he was struggling to keep his excitement and joy contained.

Sirius seemed to read his godson's impatience as he handed Harry the vial, but that might have been because inside he was just as excited and nervous as his godson. "Ready pup?" He asked softly and at the answering nod he sent a tender smile in Harry's direction before he broke off the seal and swallowed the potion in a single gulp.

Harry fought the urge to gag as he swallowed the thick and strangely sweet liquid, but he managed to force it down, reminding himself severely why he was taking the concoction and the chance it was giving him. For several moments nothing happened and he sent a slightly panicked glance in his godfather's direction but Sirius merely shook his head indicating that the delay had been expected.

But just as Harry was beginning to fear that it hadn't worked a strange sensation started to rise through him, starting in his stomach and slowly spreading through his body. He could almost feel his magic rising up to his skin and infusing every single particle. Power pulsed through him, fizzing and tingling as it swept across his skin.

Then with the suddenness of a dam bursting the magic surged out through his skin, the shock leaving him breathless. Golden sparks of magic shimmering as they were suspended around his body, and a quick glance at Sirius revealed that his godfather was also surrounded with a similar cloud although the sparks surrounding him were sparkling silver.

Before Harry's incredulous eyes he saw the sparks surrounding him begin to move, twisting and dancing until they formed a rope of magic encircling him and then pulsing in front of him as it reached out, even as its base was firmly anchored above his heart. A similar rope reached out in front of Sirius, and with a bolt of magic the two connected, the silver twining around the gold and pulling it forward. The sudden tugging caught Harry by surprise and he stumbled as he was pulled forward, but it didn't matter, Sirius moved to meet him, his arms stretching out to catch Harry as he fell and pull him upright.

Harry relaxed as Sirius's strong arms enfolded him as he was nestled against the animagus's chest. Around them the sparks of magic danced, gold becoming intermingled with the silver as the sparks flew around them, even as Harry stood secure in the midst of the tempest, his pulse throbbing in time with the magic and his head resting on his godfather's chest as the magic swelled.

He didn't know how long he stood there wrapped in Sirius's embrace as the magic continued to swirl around them, power and joy filling him, but gradually the sparks mixed so that you could not see where silver met gold. With an identical suddenness to their initial release the magic suddenly snapped forward, plunging back into their bodies.

Harry gasped as he felt the magic race through him, suffusing every fibre of his being. There was still the same exhilaration that had accompanied the first rush but this time he could feel a slight difference in his magic, something had changed, something fairly fundamental and a thrill rushed through him as he realised he could feel the effect of Sirius's magic and how the adoption had changed him. A tingling sensation spread through him and before his eyes he saw silver and gold sparks skate over his skin, converging at certain points, and then scattering to continue their dance across his skin.

But slowly he noticed the number of sparks was diminishing, and gradually they sunk back into his skin, their brightness fading as more and more were absorbed back into his body. And then the last spark vanished and he slumped in Sirius's arms, suddenly aware of the strain the potion had put on him and his magic as he found himself trying to stave off sleep.

For his part, Sirius could also feel the fatigue settling in his bones, but he also knew that Harry had been much more affected than he had, not only was he younger and his magic less mature, the adoption would have a greater effect on him because he was being brought into Sirius's family, becoming the son, instead of the father.

Supporting most of Harry's weight Sirius managed to make it over to the sofa, sinking down into the cushions and gently pulling Harry down to join him. Harry went willingly, all but collapsing onto the sofa and then lazily burrowing into Sirius's side and resting his head on the animagus's shoulder. He smiled when he felt his godfather's, no his father's arms encircle him and pull him closer. Despite his exhaustion he couldn't suppress the joy that rose up in him at that thought. He had a father now, a father he could remember, and one that would protect him, care for him and most importantly Sirius loved him and he knew that whatever happened Sirius would always be his father and nobody could take that away from him.

He quickly found himself slipping into sleep, comfortable and safe in Sirius's arms and it was in that strange half state, when one is neither fully awake or asleep when a pale golden glow began to intrude under his closed eyelids. He groaned slightly in protest, turning his head so he could bury it against his father's chest, hiding from the light as he continued to fall into slumber.

He was all but asleep when he felt a gentle hand cup his cheek, soft fingertips stroking his face tenderly. Instinctively he leaned into the touch, nuzzling at the fingertips. A clear laugh sounded above him, but with his line between dreams and reality becoming increasingly blurred he didn't question why the voice wasn't Sirius's, why the hand still cupped around his cheek belonged to a woman.

"Sleep well little one," the voice of Lily Potter murmured, as she leant down to place a kiss on her child's forehead, "We love you so very much." Harry stirred, eyes half opening to gaze on the face of his mother and he smiled as her fingertips traced his face once more before she stepped back, a look of both joy and deep sorrow in her eyes. Beside her the form of James Potter, like her given form by the multitude of shimmering sparks, stepped forward and placed his own hand on his son's shoulder before he too kissed the forehead of the child he had never been able to raise, ghostly tears standing in his eyes.

Harry smiled again, his lips moving as if to speak, but his exhaustion defeated him and both of them watched, James placing a comforting arm around his wife's shoulders, as Harry's eyelids drooped as he gently slipped into slumber. Several moments passed in silence as the two Potters watched their son sleep, sad smiles on their face and tears pooling in their eyes.

The same mix of joy and sadness was also stirring in Sirius, joy at seeing his friend's faces once again, but also the pain of their loss cutting deep into his heart, as well as grief for the child nestled against his side, for the pain his parent's deaths had caused him. But unlike James and Lily, his grief was also shot through with a piercing guilt. Then James turned towards him, and he opened his mouth to speak, "James...I..." Words failed him. He didn't know what he could say that would mitigate his guilt, that could tell his friend, his brother, how much he regretted his actions, how much he had failed them all.

Swallowing hard he tried again, but he hadn't got more than the first syllable out before he was silenced by James's fist slamming into him. Caught by surprise, and realising that it was less than he deserved, Sirius said nothing as James pulled back. "That was for blaming yourself for our deaths."

Whatever he had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. His mouth dropped open and he stared at the figure of his best friend in complete and utter shock. "What..." he managed to get out before he was cut off by his best friend's voice.

"It was not your fault," James said fiercely, "Blame Peter, blame Voldemort, heck even blame Dumbledore but get the idea that it was your fault out of your head this instant."

Sirius stared open mouthed, he had never expected to hear those words from James's mouth, most of the dreams he had had in Azkaban and even afterwards had shown him his friend blaming him, so he had never even considered the possibility that his friend might forgive him, might not blame him. Hope was rising in him, crushing some of the guilt that had been building in him ever since he had found their home in ruins but he still had to check, "You forgave me?"

James punched him again, although this was not as hard, "You're an idiot Padfoot," Sirius couldn't help the weak chuckle that escaped his lips, James had told him that so many times, always in the same half frustrated, half joking manner as he had now, before he turned serious again. "There wasn't anything to forgive."

Sirius smiled, the weight he had been carrying around for the past thirteen years lifting slightly at those words. James, Lily and Harry had forgiven him, now the only thing left was for him to forgive himself, something that would be easier with the knowledge his best friend didn't blame him for his death.

He felt Harry shift slightly and instantly his gaze flashed down to the teen who was tucked against his side, his head resting against his chest as he snuggled deeper into Sirius's embrace. He couldn't help but smile tenderly down at the boy, and tighten his arms to hold him just that bit more tightly. Harry was his son now and he couldn't suppress the joy that rose up in him at that thought. He had never thought that he would have children, and when Harry had been born he had instantly fallen in love with the infant, all but thinking of the baby as his own and that thinking had persisted to this day.

A slight sound interrupted his musings and he glanced up at the spectres of his friends, noting that Lily had moved to her husband's side and James had his arm around her, comforting her. Her eyes met his, and he was half tempted to look away, his thoughts from a moment ago ringing guiltily in his mind, how could he be rejoicing in having Harry as his own when his friends had lost so much?

For the second time in less than ten minutes he was once again shocked out of his thoughts by Lily's words, "Thank you Sirius."

He faced her with honest bewilderment, his tiredness not helping his mental facilities either. "For what Lily?" he asked quietly, his puzzlement obvious in his voice. She smiled at him, although he could see the sadness in her eyes, "For doing this for Harry, for looking after him, caring for him and loving him."

"You don't mind?" The question was cracked, incredulous but already James and Lily were shaking their heads.

"When we named you godfather, it meant you were the only person I could accept Harry viewing as a father if the worst happened," James told him, the lump in his throat obvious, "I'm glad you've done this Padfoot," he said quietly, before his gaze moved back to Harry, "Take care of him Sirius, and don't let him forget us." To choked up to speak Sirius simply nodded. There was nothing he could say and even if his voice was working properly he wasn't sure if there was anything he could say.

"He's a lucky kid," James said finally, his voice somewhat hoarse, "He's got three parents now." There was a hint of sadness in his eyes as he said it but then he smiled at Sirius, before his eyes drifted back to Harry, and together he and Lily reached out, phantom fingertips settling on Harry's forehead as their figures started to fade, golden sparks gradually losing definition as slowly the magic settled for the last time. Their spirits returning back to where they had come from.

Sirius watched until the last sparks had died, his eyes lingering on the spot his friends had vanished from. In his heart he knew that he would not see them again until he too eventually died but there was no denying that their visit had made him lighter, and decreased the burden of guilt he had bourn, both from his actions that Halloween, but also from taking James's place by adopting Harry. The joy rose up in him once again, this time untainted by guilt, Harry was his son now, and he had the blessing of Lily and James.

He didn't intend to go back on his promise to James either, he would never let Harry forget the parents who had died for him, but also he was not going to muck up being Harry's father either. He would protect, love and support the teen with everything he had and he swore to himself that he would not fail the child, his son again. He loved the boy too much to even contemplate doing that.

He shifted slightly, settling Harry a little more comfortably against him, wrapping his arms around the teen protectively once again, and brushing his own kiss onto his son's forehead, before he too gave up the fight against his fatigue and slipped into sleep.

* * *

It was dark outside when Harry finally stirred. He shifted somewhat awkwardly, wondering for a moment why he was tucked against a warm chest with Sirius's arms wrapped around him. In the next instant his memory flooded back and he couldn't stop the wide smile that broke out across his face as he remembered the adoption and the fact that the man holding him was now his father.

He shifted once again, he was slightly embarrassed about falling asleep on his father's lap, he was fourteen after all, but at the same time far too content and comfortable to consider moving very far. He felt the rumble of Sirius's laughter deep in his chest as the animagus realised Harry had woken, "Have a good nap pup?" He asked teasingly.

Harry flushed red and pulled himself up into a sitting position, but Sirius's arms prevented him from pulling away further so he had to settle for glaring half heartedly at the smiling face of his father. But Sirius just chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair, Harry tried to duck and failed but despite his irritation as soon as Sirius pulled his hand back he burrowed back into the man's embrace, relishing in the knowledge that he was safe in his father's arms.

They sat like that for several more moments before Sirius pulled him gently to his feet. "Let's have a look at you pup," he said gruffly. "I doubt the potion has really changed your appearance much, your grandmother was a Black and James looked a lot like her, but I want to see what my son looks like."

Harry hopped off the sofa reasonably quickly; hiding the thrill that went through him with the fact Sirius had called him his son. He too was rather curious about what changes the potion had wrought in him, and he wondered what part of his new father he would have in him. Finding a mirror in one of the bedrooms he levitated it out into the sitting room before studying his face carefully, Sirius standing behind his shoulder.

His father had been right, there were very few changes in his appearance, but his hair had been tamed slightly, (it was still a wild mop, but it looked as if it might behave itself if he grew it out, instead of just looking hopeless) and his nose and jaw line had sharpened, giving his face a little more of the aristocratic tilt that Sirius possessed. The differences were not major, indeed, only somebody who knew him well or was actively looking for signs of an adoption would notice the change.

The major difference though was in his magic. Ever since he had woken up he had been aware of a slight presence, seemingly seeped into the very stones of the castle. It brushed against his skin, tingling slightly as it passed. He mentioned it to Sirius and his father's face immediately broke out into a relieved smile, although Harry could detect a few hints of nervousness in the expression.

"It's the ambient magic," he informed him, the smile fading as he continued to explain. "Every Black who has been able to manipulate it has been able to feel it against their skin in places like Hogwarts where it is much more concentrated due to the magical presence of so many witches and wizards. Eventually you'll stop noticing it but it means you inherited that particular trait and you have one more line of defence should you need it."

Harry didn't even need to think about it, he grinned up at his father, showing as plainly as he could that he welcomed the change and he was perfectly happy to have that particular magical talent, especially as he realised how it could help him. Sirius grinned back at him slinging an arm over his shoulders but then he fell into a slightly uncomfortable silence.

Harry glanced up, reading the discomfort and sadness clearly in his father's expression. "What is it?" he asked softly and Sirius glanced down at him, nervousness clear in his face. Sirius didn't answer for a moment, then the animagus let out a slow breath,

"Pup, do you remember what happened just as you were falling asleep, at the end of the adoption?" Harry frowned as he pondered the question for a moment, then his eyes went wide as the memory surfaced.

"My parents," he choked out, his voice rough, "They were there, they said they loved me." He looked up and saw a tender smile spread over Sirius's face although the animagus was unable to hide the pain in his eyes. But that was sidelined as Harry pulled the images up in his mind again; he actually had a memory of his parents now, and not one of them in pain, of his mother dying. He couldn't help but smile but suddenly realising Sirius had yet to say anything he glanced up at the animagus, seeing once again the traces of pain in his eyes.

A horrible thought struck him, "They didn't mind did they?" He asked hurriedly, being adopted by Sirius had been the best thing that had ever happened to him and he couldn't bear the thought that they might not have approved. Sirius looked at him in confusion for a moment before his expression smoothed out, "No Harry," he hurried to reassure him, "They didn't mind at all, James told me to make sure you knew they loved you, and they gave the adoption their blessing. It was just hard to see them and know that they can't come back."

There was a long pause before Harry spoke once more, "I used to wonder what it would be like to have parents," he said quietly, his eyes unfocussed as his mind strayed back to his memories, "And sometimes I hated them for leaving me, I thought I'd never know what having a family felt like." He paused again, but Sirius said nothing, somehow knowing that Harry had to speak and it wouldn't help if he interrupted.

Finally Harry looked up, "I think it helped this afternoon, I think I finally accepted completely that they won't come back. I thought it would hurt but it doesn't hurt as much as I expected." Emerald eyes met grey ones, "I've got you now,"

Sirius saw the teen suck in a deep breath, and the momentary flicker of indecision in Harry's eyes before he blurted out the final word,

"Dad."

Sirius didn't let the shock that one word created show on his face, instead concentrating on the joy the word inspired in him. More than anything it brought home to him that Harry was his son now, his son by blood. Impulsively he reached out and pulled the boy back into an embrace, one which was returned willingly.

The grumble of Harry's stomach reminded him they had managed to miss supper and he grinned down at the boy, trying and failing to suppress a chuckle. "Why don't you see if you can put some of the room back to rights whilst I head down to the kitchens to see if I can get us some food, alright pup?" Harry sent a glare in his direction but he was already moving towards the bedrooms, his wand up and casting as Sirius headed down to the kitchens.

An hour later, full and content Harry asked the question which had been bugging him ever since he had remembered seeing his parents, "Why did they come back Dad? I thought it was impossible."

Sirius sighed, putting his book down as he pondered the question, "I don't really know Harry," he answered honestly, "I can only suggest that the magic tied up in the ritual was enough to pull their spirits back for a brief moment, their forms were made up of the same sparks after all. I don't understand what happened but I do know that was really James and Lily, and that somehow the old magic worked in ways we would never have expected."

Harry nodded slowly, digesting the answer. He hadn't really expected his father to know what had really happened, and his theory seemed much more likely than anything he could come up with. He supposed he would never understand how magic worked. Yawning he clambered to his feet, it had been a long day, and even with the nap he had taken in the middle of it he was still bone tired.

"G'dnight Dad," he murmured as he headed off to bed.

He heard Sirius's "Goodnight son," follow him out, and as he slipped under the quilt he couldn't help but think that he had just had the best Christmas of his life.

* * *

Hi all, I know it is a week late, and my excuse, as I have already mention to a few people, was that I caught flu and that put me thoroughly behind schedule.

Anyway I hope you all enjoyed this, and please keep reviewing!


	29. The Second Task

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 28 – The Second Task**

Albus Dumbledore frowned. The previous afternoon he had felt a large shock of magic infuse the castle, and the most worrying thing was that the burst of magic had come from inside Hogwarts itself. In his entire lifetime he had only come across magic that powerful a handful of times, the most recently being thirteen years ago, and that time he had only caught the backlash. He hadn't know what had happened at the time, but putting it together later he had realised he had felt the backlash just after Lily Potter's sacrifice, when the first body of Tom Riddle had been destroyed.

The idea that something so powerful had happened once again unsettled him immensely. Very few rituals or spells had the power to infuse Hogwart's wards, or to affect the ancient castle, and of those that did the vast vast majority were ancient spells, most banned by the current ministry and the ministry's before them as many were so potent or powerful that they were feared and branded as Dark, even if their purpose was originally pure light. Very few of the old magics were still practiced, and most of those were the domain of the old families, the seven or eight that could trace their origins back to the founding of Magical Britain. The only ancient spell that was widely used was the patronus charm, and few wizards mastered that.

Mentally he started to flick through all the possibilities. The magic had come from somebody in the castle; he knew nobody had crossed the wards that day so the list of people it could have been was automatically narrowed. It would not have been one of the students, such powerful workings were far beyond the ability of a student, although a few probably had the sheer magical power necessary, Harry Potter was one, and a few of the others in his year, Neville Longbottom for example when he stopped using his father's wand, and there were a few of the older Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that showed promise, and even one of the younger Slytherins that could have the power for this, but none of them would have the knowledge they needed for something like this.

That left the staff, but he knew all of them well, he knew that several did not have the power for the outburst he had felt the previous afternoon. Running the names through his mind he quickly identified the staff who would have the potential for such an outburst, Minerva, Serverus, Filius, Pomora, all those he knew well and knew that they would be unlikely culprits.

That left one name from the staff, Sirius Black. He knew the man had been powerful, both he and James Potter had been, and Azkaban hadn't changed that. He knew Sirius had inherited the Black's affinity for ambient magic, the incident in his office had been a powerful reminder of that fact, he had seen just how potent a force it was. His power combined with his complete and utter devotion to his godson, his willingness to do anything for Harry made him unpredictable.

Could he have been responsible for yesterday's incident? As the Head of an old family, he certainly had the knowledge of the old magics and he had the ability to use them. Another thought struck him, if Sirius had been involved in the outburst, it was fairly likely that Harry was involved as well. Sirius would have the knowledge and the power, and Harry had the power. Together they would be a potent force, and easily able to create the sort of effect he had seen yesterday.

If that was true then if begged the question what had they been doing. He had to admit his knowledge of old magics whilst it was more comprehensive than most, was sadly lacking. The Ministry regulated all such knowledge carefully, and whilst Hogwarts had some old texts that he studied extensively, it could not hold a candle to the information that the old families had available to them. Knowledge that was squirreled away in vast family libraries, with the salient points taught to each heir. The House of Dumbledore was not old, it was only just old enough to be considered pureblood, so his education had been lacking in this area, leaving him uncomfortably in the dark with regards to the ritual which had been used.

His only comfort was whatever the magic or ritual was, it hadn't had the intention to harm anyone in the castle, with magic that powerful they would already know if anyone had been the target of that magic for ill. The second hope was, that if it had been Harry and Sirius, the magic would not have harmed Harry, because, no matter how unpredictable Sirius was, one thing could be predicted with startling accuracy, he would never do anything to hurt his godson.

Reluctantly he placed the line of investigation aside, he would draw no more conclusions sitting here and thinking, he needed more information, information he could only get by going out into the school and if possible finding Sirius Black and seeing what it was possible for him to discover.

He was in luck, he came across Sirius, Harry at his side, halfway to the Great Hall. His sharp eyes scanned the pair, looking for any evidence that something was different. He frowned again as his gaze swept over Harry, something had changed but he couldn't work out what. There was something slightly different in the child, in the way he carried himself, a slight hint in his features that pointed to something new, but that something Albus Dumbledore could not quite pinpoint.

"Did you want anything Albus?" Sirius's voice shocked him out of his thoughts, and he pulled himself back to awareness to realise both of them were regarding him, waiting for an answer.

"I just wanted a word my boy," he said, concealing the puzzlement in his voice. He felt a faint flash of irritation as he caught the quick glance the child threw at his godfather. Black smiled down at the boy, "Head down to the Hall pup, I'll meet you in a minute," Harry nodded,

"Yes D...Sirius." If Albus had not been watching carefully he would have missed it but as it was he heard the slight hesitation, and he saw the way the child's eyes flickered up to his godfather, almost as if he was about to say something else, something he quickly changed to Sirius at an almost imperceptible signal. His curiosity thoroughly aroused now, he waited as the boy had headed out of earshot before turning back to Black.

Steady grey eyes rose to meet Albus's own, "I presume this will not take long Headmaster?" He shook his head in the negative,

"Of course not my boy, I just wanted to ask you about a disturbing occurrence that happened yesterday afternoon." It might have been his imagination but he thought he saw Sirius straighten slightly, a flicker of emotion in his eyes that was quickly masked. His suspicions solidifying with each second he continued, "There was a surge of magic that flooded through Hogwarts yesterday afternoon, I was wondering if you knew anything about it?"

This time the man's start of surprise was easier to see, it was slight but it was there, but when Black spoke his voice betrayed no hint of his emotions, and Dumbledore was forced to remember Sirius had been raised and schooled a pureblood, "I cannot speak for the latter part of the afternoon, but if it occurred in the middle of the afternoon, it was likely to have been the result of an unavoidable family ritual, which must have been stronger than I anticipated."

Dumbledore nodded, his mind racing as he assimilated this new information, the confirmation it had indeed been one of Black's actions both relieved and unsettled him. He was no longer looking at a potential threat to the school or the students however the lack of knowledge still concerned him greatly. "Could you perhaps enlighten me about the particulars of this ritual, for my intellectual curiosity." He waited expectantly but Sirius merely raised one eyebrow,

"It is not for pure intellectual curiosity you want the information," he stated bluntly, "I know that will be some of your motivation however you want the information for your own purposes and the answer is no." Dumbledore started to speak once more, stung by the curt rejection, something he was unused to dealing with but Black cut him off almost instantly, "Rest assured the magic was familiar in nature and it poses no threat to the school or the students here. Now if that is all I will go and rejoin my son," Stormy eyes scanned Dumbledore's face, before the man nodded curtly and turned to stride down the corridors, following the direction Harry had left in only a few minutes previously.

Sirius was halfway down the corridor when a second thought occurred to him and he turned back to the headmaster, "A piece of advice Albus, do not press me for details regarding my family and especially Harry, you have tested my patience far enough in regards to my child and in future they will not be so well received." Black eyes lingered on Dumbledore for a spilt-second more before he strode down the corridors, leaving a thoughtful Dumbledore in his wake.

The threat was easy enough to process, it was a clear warning, stay away from Harry or face my wrath. It was a marked change from the attitude the Black Lord had displayed at their last overt confrontation, there Black appeared to have been shying away from direct confrontation, not pushing as far as Dumbledore had perhaps expected him to, and stopping short of threatening him outright. Threatening to remove Harry from Hogwarts yes, threatening him personally no. In fact reviewing his memory he realised Black had been controlling himself greatly to prevent himself from doing so. That meant something had changed, something that made Sirius believe that, in regards to Harry he was completely safe, and his gut was telling him that the burst of magic he had felt the previous day had been the root of it.

He was well aware of the strong pureblood laws when it came to children of the Lord of one of the old families and their heirs. In fact a son or a daughter or such any child was untouchable in the eyes of the law. Laws passed to protect the families meant that such children could not be removed from their family and the Lord of the Family and neither the Ministry or Hogwarts would have any say in the child's living arrangements, needing permission for anything relating to their children that fell out the scope of normal practice (house points, detentions, OWL and NEWT results etc).

Such laws shouldn't apply to Harry; Sirius was just the boy's guardian after all and not his actual father. If Sirius had been, no power on earth would be enough to take Harry from him, and now Harry was old enough and would know about the laws and his place in society he could not hide him away like he had done thirteen years ago. However Dumbledore was aware there was one method of making a child the blood child of another witch or wizard. It was rare and seldom used but its power was absolute, one completed they child would become their blood child, with the full protection in the eyes of the law.

Suddenly all the pieces fell together, Sirius's change in attitude, the change in Harry, his hesitation when he spoke, the burst of magic the day before. Sirius had blood adopted Harry, making a statement to anyone able to put the pieces together that Harry was his to protect now and nobody would ever mess with Harry again without incurring the Black Lord's wrath. He felt a sense of resignation well up inside him, legally there was nothing he could do to regain control of Harry, and he knew that Black would protect the boy with everything he had. The only way to get Harry out of Sirius's control would be for Sirius to die but that was a step he was not willing to take. He was no murderer and he would not sanction anyone's death.

But still, Black's actions had thrown a wrench into his plans for dealing with Voldemort. Now he could only think, plan as hard as he could, and pray that Black had not doomed them all.

* * *

Sirius forcefully pushed down his anger as he walked away from Dumbledore, he knew precisely what the old man was doing and he knew that despite the fact that he had not told the man what had occurred the previous afternoon that Dumbledore was likely to guess the truth very soon. But there was nothing he could do and more importantly Harry was completely beyond his reach now, Albus would never interfere in his son's life again, and if he tried he would not hesitate to crush him. Now all he needed to do was make sure his son got through this blasted tournament intact.

Harry was waiting for him outside the Great Hall and he couldn't prevent the smile that spread over his face as he saw Harry's eyes light up as he approached. The teen crossed to his side, "What did he want Dad?" he asked quietly. Sirius reached out to ruffle the boy's hair, grinning as Harry ducked.

"He just wanted to quiz me about what happened yesterday afternoon. He didn't know but I think he'll guess soon." He stopped speaking when he noticed Harry was looking down with a guilty expression plain on his face, "What is it pup?" He asked gently, placing an arm around Harry's shoulders, his concern only growing as Harry turned away, refusing to meet his gaze.

"I almost called you Dad," the boy muttered guiltily, "I all but told him about the adoption!" Sirius sighed, he was well aware his son often blamed himself for things that were not his fault, a side effect of growing up with those blasted muggles. He reached out once more, pulled Harry into a strong embrace, refusing to let the teen escape.

"Listen to me," he told Harry sternly, once the boy had stopped trying to escape his embrace, "It doesn't matter, I'm thrilled that you call me Dad and it is not your fault that he has probably guessed about the adoption. He has a lot of knowledge and all the signs are there if you know what to look for. The adoption would not have been kept secret for long and there is nothing they can do about it. You are my son now and all their precious pureblood laws mean that they can never take you from me. And personally," he murmured, tightening his grip and pressing a kiss into his son's messy hair, "I don't mind people knowing that I loved you so much that I wanted you as my son."

That comment drew a smile from Harry and the teen burrowed deeper into Sirius's embrace, wrapping his own arms around his father and resting his head against his chest. "You're the best dad in the world," he murmured. Overcome, Sirius merely hugged the child more fiercely, trying to convey what those words meant to him, and to show how much he loved this boy, his son.

"How about breakfast?" He suggested when he finally released him and Harry nodded, smiling up at him and Sirius was pleased to see the happiness was back in his eyes.

* * *

A few days later the rest of the school had returned, and after a quick discussion with Sirius it had been decided that Harry would tell his friends about what had happened, but he would ask them not to mention it to anyone else. Whilst they weren't that bothered about people knowing, they would prefer it if the information didn't find its way into the hands of the newspapers, it would fuel the gossip and headlines for months and neither of them liked or wanted the attention.

Harry had noticed a few funny looks being directed in his direction during the start of term feast but as yet nobody had mentioned anything, but still he decided it would be better to tell them he would explain now rather than let then discuss things amongst themselves and draw up a head of steam. Whilst he knew that they meant well and did it entirely out of concern from him, he was also aware how long it would take them to calm down if they decided to go into investigative mode.

They were heading up to the dorm when he seized his opportunity, "I'm guessing you're wondering about me," he stated, gesturing somewhat awkwardly in the vague direction of his face, "And you'd be right in thinking something happened, and no it wasn't anything bad and yes I'll tell you and the others about it after classes tomorrow, I want to so it someplace private. Does that answer all of your questions?" The last question was directed straight at Hermione and amusement had coloured his voice when he had spoken.

She had the good grace to blush before nodding in the affirmative and changing the subject, "Did you have a good Christmas Harry?" His grin was wide and sincere as he answered,

"It was the best I've ever had!"

From there the conversation flowed easily, Ron spinning tales of the mishaps that were common in the Burrow, something Harry could easily picture, knowing just how much chaos the twins were capable of causing, and from his experiences with them trying to catch the train on time last year. Hermione too had seemed to have had a good Christmas, enjoying spending time with her family. Both thanked him for their presents, a new book bag and a set of self inking quills for Hermione and Chudley Cannons jersey and Quiddich through the Ages for Ron.

His lessons the following day went well, although Harry noticed a slight change, particularly in potions. The ambient magic that flickered at the edge of his awareness seemed to add a second dimension to his brewing. Every object it seemed contained a hint of ambient magic, a property that was only enhanced by the magical ingredients that they used in potions. Being able to feel the magic in the potions and the ingredients themselves meant he got a sense of the changes in the potion when he added ingredients, and how the magics were reacting, when he needed more of an ingredient or when he needed to reduce the potency of something. He supposed it must be similar to the instinct a potion master would have for a potion they were preparing, although his was grounded in his sense of the magic. He immediately noticed that his potions improved, the change was not massive, but it was there and he caught an appraisive look from Snape as he left.

However the day's classes were soon over and Harry found himself leading a sizeable group made up of Ron, Hermione, Neville, Susan, Hannah and the twins to the Room of Requirement. They watched in puzzlement as the door appeared, opening to reveal a cosy sitting room that greatly resembled the Gryffindor Common room. The instant the twins were inside they turned to Harry, "How did you find this place?" George asked, his expression confused,

"It wasn't on the map," Fred added, looking as confused as his brother, although Harry could see the calculation in his eyes as he worked out the possibilities the room had for pranking. "Dad told me," Harry answered absently, his mind on the upcoming conversation, "They never found a way to get it onto the map, it didn't want to be plotted for some reason."

He didn't notice the looks of shock that graced their features or that Fred turned to George and mouthed, "Dad?" as his attention switched to the rest of the room, looking at all his friends who had each selected an armchair, and were relaxing, most of them alternating between looking at the room in wonder, or looking at Harry curiously. He cleared his throat, wondering why on earth he was nervous. Being adopted by Sirius had been the best thing that had ever happened to him, and the events surrounding the tournament had clearly shown him that they didn't intend to abandon him.

"I think you've all noticed that I look a bit different now," he started somewhat uncomfortably, "The reason for that is that Sirius blood-adopted me on Christmas Day, so I'm his blood son now, and it changed my appearance a bit." There was a beat of silence before he was grabbed in a hug by Hermione who was grinning from ear to ear.

"That's brilliant Harry!" She exclaimed, a cry that was echoed by the rest of the Weaselys and as if her movement had been the cue for everyone to move he suddenly found himself swamped under a group hug. Several minutes later he managed to extract himself, beaming at their response. However he noticed Susan was looking very thoughtful, "Did you say he blood-adopted you?" She asked thoughtfully, "With a potion or a ritual of some form?" At Harry's nod her eyes went wide. "Do you know what that means?" She whispered, a strange note in her voice.

"It means I'm his real son, by blood?" Harry said, a hint of confusion in her voice. But Susan shook her head,

"Apart from that?" At a single shake of Harry's head she let out a slow breath, and Harry noticed Fred and George exchange glances as comprehension dawned in their faces. Harry was beginning to get worried, "It's not bad is it?" The rush of relief that swept through him when she shook her head was undeniable.

"No it isn't bad, it just that," she paused, gathering her thoughts before plunging one, "You know how much importance the Wizarding World places on blood, and in particular the children of the old families?" The expression on Harry's face was enough to force her to explain further. "The Wizarding system is still mainly feudal, with the power being held in the old families, and the majority of ordinary witches and wizards have either backing of or vassal clauses with the older families, and the power of these families is hereditary. Therefore of course, the children and the heirs of these families are incredibly important."

Harry nodded, it was easy enough to follow, and whilst such things had been mentioned in passing in the Wizarding Culture lessons he had over the summer, those lessons had been mainly focussed on his political power and learning the responsibilities and problems that came with being the Potter Lord and the Black Heir, Sirius's hadn't been too concerned with explaining the pureblood positions, more with teaching him what he would need to operate in the Wizarding World competently.

"That's one of the reasons blood adoptions are so rare, and they are almost unheard of when the adoptive parents don't already have sons, the families want to keep their secrets and power. By blood adopting you, Sirius has made you legally his eldest son, so legally you are now a pureblood, a Black, Heir to the Black Lordship and power, and he has all but announced his intention to not have any further children, or at least any children he has will not be his primary heir. He's given everything to you Harry."

Harry stared at her, his mouth open. He knew Sirius loved him deeply, but to love him so much that he had placed Harry at a higher position than his own children would occupy, children whose father he had been from birth! He could hardly conceive of being loved that much, and he couldn't understand why his father had done it. His eyes scanned the other faces in the room and Neville caught his eye and nodded, confirming everything Susan had said to be true. He swallowed hard and when he spoke there was an odd note in his voice, "I think I need to go and talk to Dad." Even in the midst of his shock, he couldn't help but smile as he was reminded of the adoption, and he saw his smile mirrored in his friend's faces. "I'll see you guys back in the common room or tomorrow." The last words were directed at Susan and Hannah as he headed off to find his father.

A few minutes later he whispered the password and slipped into his father's quarters. As he entered Sirius glanced up and seeing who it was he rose from his chair, worry flitting across his features, "What's the matter Harry?" he asked quietly, crossing the space between them to wrap Harry in a hug. Harry leaned into the embrace, but still his mind raced with what he had just learned, he couldn't conceive of being loved that much, and he couldn't understand why his father had adopted him when he was sure Sirius had known precisely what the implications were and what he was doing.

Seeming to sense the restless nature of his thoughts his father pulled back slightly and scanned his face, a slight frown marring his own features. After a moment he came to a decision and led Harry over to the sofa, sitting down and urging the teen to join him. After a brief hesitation Harry sat down too, leaning into his father when Sirius wrapped an arm around him. For a moment neither of them spoke, but finally, realising that he needed to understand and accompanied by the knowledge that he was worrying his father, Harry spoke. "Why?" The question was barely audible, but Sirius heard it.

"Why what pup?" He asked softly, gently rubbing the back of Harry's hand with his thumb as he tried to soothe him. Harry paused for a second, wondering how to say this so he didn't hurt his father, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt the man who had loved him unconditionally, and the only person he loved as a father. Eventually though he decided he just had to come out and ask.

"Dad," he said finally, "Why did you adopt me?" He saw the shock flash across his father's face and he hurried to continue, "Especially when it means that any children you have wouldn't inherit. They'd be your children and I'm not..." He tried to say more but Sirius's arms tightened around him and his father's sharp intake of breath made him freeze.

A firm hand reached out and turned his face so he was looking directly into the grey eyes of his father and the pain he saw there almost made him flinch. "Never say that again," Sirius's voice was rough, "You are my child and you will always be my child. I know you were James and Lily's first but you are my son now, and no matter how you became my child you will always be my eldest son, understand?"

Harry wasn't capable of anything but a nod. The pain in Sirius's eyes had caught his breath, but the love in the grey depths was shinning more clearly than he had ever seen it before. A lump formed in his throat, as tears pricked in his eyes and he leaned forward blindly, reaching out towards his father. And then Sirius's arms were there, wrapping around him and holding him tightly as he buried himself in the embrace. He known of course that the adoption would make Sirius his father, and he thought he knew what that meant but he had never really understood what having a parent was like. Until now.

Those words had brought it home to him. It meant that Sirius would always be there for him, would never abandon him. Sirius would always be his father and nothing could change that. He would never be alone again, the support and love of his father would always be available to him. Vaguely he was aware Sirius had started to speak once more and he forced himself to pay attention.

"I love you Harry, more than you could ever imagine. I adopted you because I loved you and wanted you to be my son. In my heart you already were, but I wanted it to be official too." Harry couldn't help the smile that broke across his face at that statement, nor the tears that were pouring down his face. He had known it objectively, and it hadn't been the first time Sirius had told him that he loved him but since the adoption it was the first time Sirius had ever told him it directly, and the first time he had fully absorbed what it meant.

Sirius didn't seem to mind the increasing dampness of his robes, nor the way Harry burrowed deep into his embrace, greedily drinking in all the affection and love that his father offered him so willingly. Harry was struggling to hold back the tears, but for once in his life his tears were not of pain and suffering but rather happiness.

Eventually he regained his composure and Harry sat up, a heavy blush staining his cheeks. He was fourteen, he wasn't supposed to break down like a small child just because his father had told him that he loved him, even though it had been the first time he had ever been told that directly by a parent. Embarrassed he tried to avoid his father's gaze but Sirius didn't share his embarrassment, catching his eye and mouthing 'It's okay pup.' For some reason that made him feel a lot better.

He stayed in Sirius's quarters for another half an hour, just enjoying being with his father and being able to relax, although the tournament was beginning to weigh on his mind once more. It was coming up in just over a month and he was still practicing hard. Neither of them knew what the object Harry would sorely miss would be but at the moment they had more pressing concerns, Harry was learning how to cast the bubblehead charm wordlessly, as well as a few other useful spells such as relashio and stupefy, Sirius didn't want to take the chance of Harry being unable to defend himself underwater.

Swimming lessons were also a regular feature, and whilst Harry would not be an Olympic swimmer any time soon, he was certainly a lot more proficient than he had been at the start and he could swim a reasonable distance without floats now, although nobody would give him any prizes for technique. The other feature of the swimming lessons, once Sirius had reassured himself that Harry knew enough about swimming not to accidently drown if the potion or gillyweed wore off, or the charm failed, was to allow Harry to practice with the various compounds and to work out what would be the best solution for the task.

It had taken them several weeks and several failed attempts but they thought they had eventually managed to come up with a workable strategy. The potion, while it was effective had one major drawback, namely that a single dose would not last more than ten minutes underwater, as such making it unpractical for the task, and similarly Harry's bubblehead charms were not strong enough to last for the duration of the task, so they were being kept in reserve, if something ran out, or he needed air for five minutes to get to the surface at the end of the task.

The strategy was simple, Harry would have a several doses of gillyweed, one that would last for thirty minutes and another four that would last for twenty minutes each, as well as five doses of potion and these he would carry with him into the task. At the start he would take the half hour dose and then take either a dose of potion or gillyweed depending on how close he was to the end of the task he was when the first dose began to run out. Many would think this was cutting things extremely fine but in his hours of practice Harry had learnt the signs that gave him a minute's warning before the gillyweed would run out, ample time to take a new dose.

* * *

The day of the Second Task dawned bright and cold, frost glinting in the morning sun and breath steaming in the air. After some deliberation Harry had decided he would spend the night in Sirius's quarters and early that morning he was awoken by a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Up and dressed pup," Sirius commanded in a soft voice, "You need to have a good breakfast before the task starts." Harry groaned but it wasn't long before he was sitting in the Great Hall, his friends doing a good job of forcing him to eat, although his stomach was alight with nerves. It was a true testament to his worry that he didn't notice Hermione was missing until Neville pointed it out to him.

He still didn't have a clue what the thing he'd sorely miss would be, and for once his father seemed to have been wrong, because nobody had yet asked him for an item to hide leaving him completely in the dark as to them item he would have to retrieve. The hours until the Task passed at once agonisingly slowly and in the blink of an eye and soon Harry found himself running down to the Champions Tent.

He arrived, a little short of breath, just as his deadline for being there was reached. He had waited for his father up at the school, thinking he would meet him there, Dumbledore had wanted to speak to him about safety in the tournament or something similar. But as time had crept on he had headed down to the tent alone, thinking that perhaps the business had drawn Sirius down to the lake, or hadn't quite finished so he would meet Harry there. However as he scanned the people assembled there, and then the stands for friends and family and finally the audience he couldn't spot his father anywhere. His unease began to grow. He knew Sirius would never abandon him, the adoption proved that, and he had promised to be there for him, and his father had never broken a promise to him before. Something was wrong, something had happened and his worry and fear began to climb so quickly he scarcely noticed when Bagman started to talk.

"You're all here good, now just to go over the Second Task, you all decoded your eggs correct," Harry nodded, still paying scant attention as his eyes scanned the assembled crowds more and more frantically. Bagman's next words however pulled him straight out of his thoughts,

"A hostage has been taken for each of you, Gabrielle Delacour for you Miss Delacour, Cho Chang for you Mr Diggory, Hermione Granger for you Mr Krum, and finally for Mr Harry Potter here, we have taken Sirius Black."

Harry felt his heart drop sickeningly, they had taken Sirius, had taken his father. The words of the song beat round in his head '_But past an hour - the prospect's black, too late, it's gone, it won't come back'._ He had an hour and no more to rescue his father and if he failed he would lose another parent. He forced the sobs down his throat and blinked hard to stop any tears leaking from his eyes. He would not let anyone in this tent see just how much he was affected by this information.

He wasn't prepared to lose another father, he had lost his first parents when he was but a baby, and now there was only an hour before he lost his new father too. It wasn't fair, he had barely had two months with Sirius as his father, and less than a year before that and already they were trying to tear him away. He had an hour he reminded himself savagely, an hour to rescue and find his father, and he would be damned if he let himself lose the only father he could remember.

He felt steely determination rise up inside him. He wasn't a baby anymore, he didn't have to lie helpless as his father was snatched away from him, he could and he would act. He would not allow them to steal the only family he had left. But even so the fear was gnawing at him, what if he failed, what then? What would happen if he lost Sirius? He couldn't lose the only father he had, couldn't lose the only adult he loved and trusted unconditionally, he knew it would destroy him.

He felt the hot sting of tears in the back of his throat, and a tell tale dampness in his eyes. Furious he dashed them away, unaware of the magic that was flickering into life around him, or the shocked and slightly fearful looks everyone else in the tent was casting in his direction. Anger, fear and a determination so intense it could move mountains were a potent combination. The magic fed on it, growing expanding as it flickered throughout the tent, sending thin feelers out as it tried to discover what had upset it's master so much.

The sharp blast of the silver whistle came as a relief to everyone in the tent and as one they plunged into the water casting various spells as they went. Harry too had leapt forward at the sound, stuffing the gillyweed into his mouth as he moved. With the familiar pain, gills burst out of the side of his neck as he jack knifed into the cool water and struck out strongly, his wand clutched safely in his fist.

The song had been in mermish, and he knew there was a mer community living towards the north end of the lake, away from the castle and it stood to reason that would be where the hostages were, they would not leave the people defenceless at the bottom of a lake that was infested with all manner of magical creatures. His fins pushed at the water, sending him flying through the murky depths, as he tried to push his fear down, to prevent it from welling up and suffocating him with its strength.

For perhaps the second time in his life he was completely terrified. It was not to say he hadn't been frightened before, many times at his Aunt and Uncle's he had been frightened for his own life and again at Hogwarts, but the terror that engulfed him was something he had only felt once before. It was not terror for himself, but terror for his father, terror for what was going to happen if he didn't succeed, terror that he would be unable to succeed and he would lose his father.

He swam desperately on, not even pausing as he fired at the creatures that had emerged from the kelp forests to attack him, not pausing for the fish that swarmed him, their sharp teeth tearing at his skin and sending skeins of his blood into the green waters. Adrenaline, anger and fear were pulsing through his system and his entire mind was dominated by one thought, 'Find Dad' as he ploughed steadily on into the gradually darkening waters.

His fear escalated as he felt the tell tale signs of gillyweed wearing off, he had been swimming for half an hour and still he was no closer to finding his father. He stuffed a new dose into his mouth, panic lending him speed as a eerie chorus echoed out of the water ahead of him, "_An hour long you'll have to look and to recover what we took...your time's half gone so tarry not, lest what you seek stays here to rot..." _

He passed a large rock on his right side and before him he noticed that the crags that had dominated the depths rise up before him, although now they were taking on very definite shapes, holes that could be windows, a flash of a tail as something slipped out of sight, weeds growing and pulsating in the water, their coloured tendrils seeming almost flower like.

Hope surged through him as he realised he had reached the mer village, surely the hostages would be nearby, surely they hadn't left them to the mercy of the creatures at the bottom of the lake. He swam on, and as he got deeper into the maze of houses he saw that the mer had lost some of their initial wariness and were regarding him, bright black eyes piercing through the gloom, the flash of light reflected off silver scales as they thrust themselves effortlessly through the water.

He was beginning to worry that he had lost himself in the maze of houses, that he was swimming in circles and would never find where the hostages were being held when the houses gave way to an open space, an old crumbling statue dominating the centre, and fastened securely at its base were the four hostages, their hair fanning about their faces, and their eyes closed so they appeared to be sleeping, or dead. Harry felt the sharp blow of relief as his eyes found his father's form although at the same time he felt worry burn in his chest. Sirius was still, and unnaturally so. He had never seen his father anything but lively, and even when he was asleep the animagus would shift and turn, but now he just hung there suspended, not a single flicker of movement except for the drifting of his robes and hair in the current

Harry threw himself forward, he wasn't too late, he still had a dose of gillyweed to go, Sirius, his godfather, his father couldn't be dead, not when he had done everything he could to rescue him, not when the time had yet to expire. Fingers scrabbled at the ropes securing his father to the statue and it was only as they slipped, leaving inky trails of blood that he realised his hands were streaked in his own blood, and that a steady stream was still seeping out of the numerous cuts and bites covering his body.

He bit down hard on his lip, he had not come so far, so close only to lose his father. Then with one last mad jerk the rope gave, slipping from Sirius's ankle and immediately the animagus started to sink. Desperately Harry lunged forward his hands seizing Sirius's robes and holding them in a vice like grip.

Instantly he was supporting his father's entire weight and it became a struggle to prevent himself sinking, even as he tried frantically to hold his godfather up. Sirius was a grown man and even with the buoyancy of the water on his side Harry was almost unable to lift him. He was still a teenager, and despite Sirius and Andromeda's best efforts he still wasn't in good physical condition, a lifetime of abuse and neglect could not be overcome in a few months, even if you had magic on your side and this, combined with the blood loss that was making him a little lightheaded and weakening him further.

Throwing every ounce of strength he had left at swimming upwards he slowly began to ascend, his father being dragged behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted the figure of another champion approaching in the distance and he breathed a sigh of relief, he didn't want to leave anyone behind, but he was struggling just to carry Sirius, and he knew that he could not have taken another person. For the first time in his life he was being selfish and rescuing the person that meant more to him than any other, but at least if one champion was approaching it meant that the others would be there soon hopefully?

The surface was getting closer and closer, and above him he could see the light dancing across the waves. He was almost there, he had nearly made it. Relief and blood loss made him lightheaded when suddenly he began to choke. He had been so absorbed in reaching the surface he hadn't realised his dose of gillyweed was running out. He clamped his mouth shut, and he tried to fumble for the weed on his belt but both his hands were clinging to his father and if he let go the man would sink back down and he knew he didn't have the strength left to bring him up again.

With a single burst of energy bourn solely from desperation he thrust his father the last few meters to the surface, but with that single movement he lost his last bit of strength, the lack of air, the blood loss and the effort he had expended dragging Sirius to the surface proved too much and he started to sink, his hands shaking as he tried to reach for a potion and cast the charm, even as he knew the effort would be futile. Even once he could breathe once more he would not have the strength to drag himself to the surface, already spots were appearing in his vision as the world around him gradually darkened.

Then he felt a hand clamp around his wrist and with a single heave his head broke the surface of the water. And he was coughing and spluttering, blood streaking his face and arms, shivering in the icy waters as strong arms held him firmly, keeping him upright. Gradually the world righted itself, his vision returning slowly to normal, as he sucked in lungful after lungful of clear, dry, air.

Harry blinked hard, bringing his eyesight back into focus to see a pair of soft grey eyes staring down at him, filled with a mixture of love, fear and concern. "Dad?" he murmured drowsily.

"I'm here pup," Sirius replied just as quietly. There were no words to describe the shock and fear he had felt when he had woken to find himself in the lake, and seeing his son floating down, unable to reach the surface. It had only taken milliseconds to work out what had happened, even as he had plunged down to drag his son to the surface and he knew there were several people who would feel his ire later, but his priority at the moment was Harry.

Blood was still welling from hundreds of wounds that dotted his skin and he could see that the boy was on the verge of passing out. He must have given everything to try to rescue him and Sirius's heart clenched as he thought of the fear and pain that his son must have felt in the depths of the lake as he searched for him, worried he was about to lose another parent.

Sirius started to swim, carefully supporting Harry as he did so. The child lay in his arms, limp and unresponsive, too exhausted to do anything beyond holding his head above the water. Sirius saw his son's eyelids begin to droop and he shook him fiercely. He had no idea how much blood Harry had lost, or how long he had been injured for but he knew it had to be a sizeable amount and that he needed to get his son medical attention as soon as possible, and he couldn't let him lose consciousness, if he did there was no knowing if he would ever wake up.

"Stay awake for me Harry," he commanded, fear giving his voice a sharp edge. Harry blinked, too tired to be shocked at the tone his father had used. He tried to stay awake, he really did but he was just so tired, Sirius was safe now so what did it matter if he slept. "Tired," he mumbled,

"I know little one," he heard Sirius murmur, "But you can't sleep yet, I need you stay awake just a little longer." Harry frowned, a hint of a pout on his features.

"'M not little," Above him his father chuckled although there was a hint of a strain in the sound and he felt a kiss being pressed to his forehead.

"Nearly there pup, just hold on a little longer." A minute or so later hands reached down for him and he felt himself being pulled up on to the platforms and out of the corner of his eye he saw someone helping Sirius up beside him. He tried to stand but his legs trembled and gave way, depositing him straight back onto the wooden planks. He lay where he had fallen, too tired to make the effort to stand again although the hard boards were digging into his back, letting his eyes drift shut.

Something warm was wrapped around him and he was gently eased up and pulled backwards until he was resting against a firm chest. He didn't have to look to know it was Sirius who was holding him, his arms wrapped round him in a protective embrace. For a moment he wondered why his father wasn't shivering, and why the material his head was pillowed against wasn't wet but he decided it didn't matter and he just snuggled deeper into the embrace, too tired to care that everyone was watching.

There was the sound of running footsteps then "Sweet Merlin!" He heard Madam Pomfrey exclaim, before she became businesslike once more. "Drink this, it should help to combat the blood loss." He opened his eyes in time to see her thrust a potion onto his lap before rummaging through her bag as she searched for the correct bandages and salves. Harry looked at the potion warily, he had been in the hospital wing enough time to know how foul they were but also to know that if he didn't drink them he would be in more trouble and end up drinking more.

Reluctantly he reached for it only, for his hands to tremble violently. Immediately Sirius plucked the vial from his lap and with a deft movement opened it and brought it to Harry's mouth. Embarrassment welled up inside him at having to be fed like a small child but obediently he opened his mouth and allowed his father to carefully feed him the potion. As soon as it was finished his head drooped down onto Sirius's shoulder, and this time his father didn't stop him from sleeping, instead he carded his fingers tenderly through his hair, the soothing motion helping Harry to drop into slumber.

Sirius didn't know what to feel as he saw his son slip into sleep. Part of him was filled with the overwhelming love he had for his child, part of him was humbled by the effort Harry had gone to in order to rescue him, another part overjoyed with the realisation of how much his son loved him and others filled with anger at the Ministry and Dumbledore for putting Harry in that position and the worry as he looked at his son's injuries.

He was thankful for the interruption in the form of Poppy Pomfrey, "Spread this over all the bites and puncture wounds on his arms," she instructed tersely. Sirius was only too happy to comply, whilst the bleeding had slowed it had yet to stop, and anything he could do to help heal his child would be welcome.

Gently he rubbed the paste into the wounds, relieved as he saw them close slightly, the blood flow decreasing as he watched although it didn't heal them completely. He raised curious eyes in the direction of the medi-witch who was busy applying the salve to the other wounds. "The bites have some sort of venom in them, aimed to keep the wounds open." She answered the unspoken question.

Sirius swallowed hard, "How dangerous is the venom?" He asked, throat dry.

"It won't kill him," she said briskly "Its main danger is excessive blood loss and that potion will take care of that. However the venom has to be removed before the injuries can be healed fully. The salve will take a few hours to remove all of it, so I'll bandage his arms and legs, and apply a second salve in four hours time." She surveyed Harry with a practiced eye, "I doubt he'll wake up before then, he's completely exhausted but I want to keep him in the Wing overnight just in case."

Sirius just nodded, relief rushing through him. Harry was going to recover, and he should be alright in a day or so. Carefully he picked his son up, nestling the boy securely in his arms and he strode towards the castle, not caring that the drying and warming charms he had cast on himself and his clothing had not managed to remove all the water, and he was beginning to feel the effect of the chill air on his damp clothing and hair.

Reaching the hospital wing he selected a bed at the far end of the ward, away from prying eyes and gently laid Harry down, before casting a simple switching spell to replace the teen's damp clothing with a dry hospital gown. Pulling the curtains shut, the last thing he wanted was for any reporters to obtain pictures of his son, especially when he was injured, he reached out and tucked Harry in, making sure the child was warm, before pulling up a chair and settling down to wait until Harry woke.

* * *

And there's the next instalment folks. Hope you all enjoyed it and have a good Christmas or whatever holiday you are celebrating at this time of year.

Thanks for all the support and reviews, and please review!


	30. Vows and Recoveries

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 29 – Vows and Recoveries**

Harry came back to awareness gradually, the crispness of the sheets beneath him and the faint aroma of potions informing him he was currently lying in the hospital wing. Even in his half awake state he grimaced, he had spent far too much time in the hospital wing, usually after one of his adventures at the end of the year, or after a Quiddich match.

With that thought he wondered what injury had landed him here this time. He could remember the task, his frantic search for his father and the struggle to get to the surface, and he was sure those memories would stay with him for the rest of his life, but after that, nothing. There were a few fuzzy images, but nothing clear, being pulled from the water, being fed some sort of potion, being held against a warm chest, overwhelming tiredness and someone telling him to stay awake but they were so indistinct and isolated that he wondered if they weren't memories at all, but rather a dream. Certainly there was nothing that pertained to any sort of injury that would be severe enough to land him here, although it wouldn't be the first time he had lost consciousness and woken up in the infirmary.

Suddenly another thought struck him, what had happened to his father? He thought he remembered pushing him up to the surface, but his memories by that point were already becoming blurred. He could clearly remember the desperation with which he had thrust Sirius up, but had his father ever reached the surface? He didn't know and that thought sent panic flashing through him. It couldn't all have been in vain, he couldn't have got that far, and done so much only to fail to save the one person who mattered more to him than any other. But no matter how much he tried to convince himself that his father was alive, that he had managed to save him, Harry couldn't prevent the dread that rose up inside him, nor silence the small voice that whispered 'He's dead, you've lost another parent, you failed'.

He was tired, and his limbs felt wooden but the worry that rose in him dominated his mind, waking him and forcing him to alertness, he would not be able to relax again until he knew what had happened to his father. Harry sucked in a shuddering breath, suppressing a wince as the single movement caused the lingering soreness in all his muscles to flair and forced his unnaturally heavy eyelids up.

It was dark, and from the dim flickers of moonlight that slipped in through the arched windows he could tell it was night. The light elongated the shadows, creating eerie shapes on the floor of the infirmary. Harry squinted, trying to see if he could make out any details but he gave up almost the instant he started; his bad vision had no cure but his glasses. With that thought he started to reach out in the vague direction of the bedside table where Madam Pomfrey usually put his glasses, but he abandoned the movement a second later as his arm protested viciously, sending a flare of pain shooting up the limb and causing it to drop straight back onto the covers as a hiss of pain escaped.

He gritted his teeth, this time braced for the pain and reached out again; he had to be able to see if he was ever going to find out whether he had managed to save Sirius. He froze in the next second when a hand captured his wrist, picked it up and gently laid it back on the bed. "The bites had more venom in them then Poppy realised," A familiar voice told him softly, "She hasn't been able to start healing them yet."

But Harry was far less focussed on the words than the voice that was speaking them. He squinted up in the direction it came from, his eyes making out a blurry outline he was sure he would recognise anywhere, but he had to make sure. "Dad?" he croaked out.

"I'm here pup," Sirius answered, a mixture of worry and relief colouring his voice.

Harry didn't stop to think, or to consider the soreness and injuries that riddled his body, he flung himself at the blurry figure of his father, arms latching around Sirius in a desperate embrace as he sought the final proof that his father was here, alive. The older man rocked back slightly, unprepared for the teen who had launched himself at him and held him in a death grip, but he recovered a second later, moving carefully to sit on the edge of the bed and wrap the boy in an embrace as he felt his son's frame shake with the force of his sobs.

Harry's injuries protested loudly but he didn't care as he buried himself in his father's arms, his face nestled against Sirius's shoulder, tears flooding down his face. All his fear, worry and panic he had felt ever since Bagman told him who they had taken as his hostage was being released in the tears of relief that cascaded down his face. Sirius held him, threading his fingers comfortingly through his hair, not saying anything, seemingly realising that Harry needed the release.

Eventually the tears slowed and finally stopped falling and Harry drew back a little, awake enough to be embarrassed at falling to pieces but as his eyes met his father's gaze he saw a deep understanding there, even as Sirius reached out and wiped away the last of his tears. Then he picked up Harry's glasses and gently slid them onto his face. Harry smiled his thanks as his father's face slid into focus, although the sight of his father's face staring at him brought back the memories of his fear and seeing Sirius under the lake, unmoving and still.

"I thought I'd lost you," Harry rasped out, "I didn't know if I'd made it in time." Sirius smiled sadly at him, and Harry could see the pain and anger in the depths of his eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that pup," Sirius carefully pulled Harry closer, mindful of his injuries which were beginning to make themselves known once more now his storm of weeping had subsided, but as Harry watched his smile transformed into a tender one, "But you did extremely well down there, and I am so proud of you."

Harry couldn't help the smile that sprang to his face, his father's approval was something that mattered more to him than anyone else's opinion and to hear that Sirius thought he had done well, and was proud of him caused a warm feeling to well up inside him. However, now his fear surrounding his father had receded, the worries that surrounded the other hostages returned full force. He hadn't been able to save them all and whilst he had seen one champion approach, he didn't know what had happened to the other two.

"Are they all alright?" He asked urgently and his father's forehead furrowed for a moment before his expression cleared and he hurried to reassure him.

"All the hostages and champions are fine," Sirius told him, and then sensing his want for more information continued, "Cedric returned with Cho about fifteen minutes after we reached the surface, and Krum followed with Hermione five minutes later. Fleur only just managed to reach her hostage, she was attacked by Grindylows but she managed to beat them off and retrieve her sister after two hours." He sighed then carried on,

"You were the only person hurt, and you were injured quite badly. You have over a hundred puncture wounds and bites, and there was venom deep in them that prevents them from closing. The first salve didn't remove all of it so Poppy applied a second dose. That should finish its work in half an hour or so, then she will try to heal the wounds and they should be fixed by morning." His hand brushed over Harry's messy hair, "The main concern was how exhausted you were and when you didn't wake up a few hours ago she became quite concerned."

Harry felt guilt rise inside him, he had managed to worry his father and that was something he never wanted to do. "I'm sorry," he murmured, avoiding his father's eyes. Instantly Sirius's hand came up and caught his chin, forcing him to look at him, "It wasn't your fault pup," he said fiercely, "You don't have to be sorry for anything." Harry didn't quite know what to say but that didn't matter to his father who lightly kissed his forehead before he pulled back.

"I expect you're hungry," Sirius said, surprising Harry with the sudden change in subject, "Poppy gave me express instructions to feed you once you woke and I have no intention of disobeying her. I will do everything I can to make you better, not to mention she has the power to kick me out and as I have no intention of leaving your side until you are better, I'm not willing to annoy her." Harry couldn't do more than stare at Sirius, even after everything the man had done from him, somehow he was still surprised when Sirius did something that clearly showed how much he cared.

Sirius saw the shock on his son's face and while he didn't let any hint of his anger at his child's confounded relatives show on his face, inwardly he swore that he would repair the damage and that Harry would get used to having a parent to support and care for him. Supporting Harry's weight with one arm, he pulled the pillows up against the headboard with the other, and then he carefully helped Harry sit back, flicking his wand at the lights as soon as Harry was settled.

Harry let out a hiss of pain as he moved. He had managed to ignore the pain in his relief at finding his father alive and well, but now the numerous cuts and wounds peppering his limbs were protesting viciously at his disregard for his injuries. He glanced down at the bandages covering his arms and he saw the crimson of fresh blood seeping through them and he winced, he had no illusions that in the last ten minutes he had managed to make them worse.

His attention was distracted in the next few seconds as a house-elf popped in with a covered tray which Sirius took from them and balanced carefully on Harry's lap, revealing a bowl of soup, several pieces of bread, a goblet filled with what he presumed was pumpkin juice and two long straws. Sirius caught his puzzled glance and answered the unspoken question,

"Once glance at your arms is enough to tell me you would be unable to hold a spoon steadily pup, let alone a goblet, and whilst I am perfectly happy to feed you I thought you would prefer to use a straw when it came to the juice and soup." Harry nodded immediately, his face flaming. Whilst he knew Sirius had only suggested it as a solution because he cared about him, it didn't stop his embarrassment at the thought of being fed like a small child, he was fourteen after all.

Sirius chuckled slightly at the mortified look on his son's face as he handed Harry a straw and watched as the boy took it gratefully, although he refused to meet his eyes. He frowned, a little worried that he had overdone it, he had only meant to lighten the mood slightly and show Harry how much he cared for him, not embarrass the teen completely.

He watched Harry for a few more moments, but when his son still didn't meet his gaze he knew he had to say something. "I didn't mean to embarrass you pup," He said quietly and Harry's gaze snapped to his, "But I meant it, you are my child and that means I take care of you, so if you ever need my help in any way I promise I will help you." Harry smiled a little shyly at him, and a hint of red still staining his cheeks but he returned to eating his meal, this time talking quietly with Sirius.

Soon the meal was finished, and with most of his worries removed and a hot meal in his stomach Harry was beginning to feel increasingly drowsy. Gently Sirius urged him to lie back down and Harry was too tired to protest as his father drew the covers up and tucked him in with a kiss to his forehead. Part of him tried to protest but it was overridden by the rest. Down in the lake he had feared that he would never have such a moment again, would never experience his father's affection and love, and even if he would never admit it, he enjoyed the affection he had never before had the chance to have and that Sirius gave him so willingly.

* * *

Sirius watched as his son slipped back into sleep however a vast proportion of his worry had evaporated. Harry had woken and been perfectly lucid, and hopefully in a few hours his wounds would be healed and he would be able to leave the infirmary in the morning. However the release from his worry had done nothing to abate the anger simmering in his gut, if anything his fury had strengthened.

Hearing the pain and fear in his son's voice as he spoke of losing him, and holding Harry as he sobbed his heart out had kindled a burning rage in his heart. Harry had been hurt because Dumbledore had decided it would be a good idea to test Harry by taking him as his hostage. Sirius knew full well whose fault it was, Dumbledore had asked to speak to him, he had gone to the man's office and the last thing he remembered was an instinct making him turn and seeing a flash of red before he was enveloped in blackness.

It infuriated him for more than one reason; firstly the man had meddled with his son once more, by manipulating his emotions and in the process hurting him. He was sure that the actions had been taken in response to some sort of misguided plan that the Headmaster had in regard to Harry, probably something to do with Voldemort as that bastard didn't have the decency to stay dead but it was not Albus's place to meddle with Harry's life. He thought he had made it as clear as he could, and he was sure that the old man had received his warnings but the blatant disregard he was showing when it came to Harry and the fact that as Harry's father he had jurisdiction over the child was worrying.

Sirius knew that Dumbledore was well acquainted with the pureblood laws governing children of the Noble Houses, as the Headmaster and Chief Warlock he had to be, and yet he was disregarding them. As his father Sirius had to give his permission for any unusual activities pertaining to Harry, and as the Black Lord his permission had to be sought before he could be forced to participate in any event that fell out of his duties, and what had occurred in the second task was definitely both. And yet Dumbledore had authorised him to be stunned, before he could refuse, which showed he knew what he was doing was illegal.

It had gone too far, Dumbledore was operating outside the law when it came to both him and Harry and he was not going to let the man get away with it any more. Harry was his son now and he would not be Dumbledore's pawn, to be trained, tested and sacrificed as necessary, Sirius would protect Harry with everything he had and Dumbledore had made himself an enemy. The day's events had shown him clearly that the man could no longer be trusted when it came to his son, so he had to act. The Headmaster was ignoring the law and there was no way of knowing which laws he would put aside next in his pursuit of the Greater Good. For both Harry and himself to be safe Dumbledore had to be dealt with. It would not be easy, and it would probably take the rest of the school year but he would make sure Harry was safe.

The way Sirius saw it there were two options, number one he could attempt to remove Dumbledore as the headmaster of Hogwarts, but he was realistic enough to know that unless he could bring great pressure to bear, and have the power of the media and Ministry behind him, it was unlikely to happen, and even then it was likely to take several months at the least, months where both he and Harry would be at increased risk. It would be doable, but it would be difficult and the main problem was the increased risk it would bring to Harry and the possibility it could backfire spectacularly.

The second option would be to try and get some sort of legal magical contract with the man which would prevent him from harming or manipulating Harry again, something that was similar to the binding he had placed on Snape. This too had problems. Firstly he suspected Dumbledore was too clever to get himself into a situation where the family magic was applicable, although if he did Sirius wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of it. The stunning might have counted as an attack, but the fact the Dumbledore had not fired the curse himself would make applying the magic chancy.

He could wait and try to catch the man when one of his schemes fell to pieces, but the potential danger it could put Harry in made that an unviable option, for the ancient magic to be applied Harry would have had to be attacked first, and he wasn't willing to put his son in any situation where he might be hurt. Therefore he had to stick to doing things legally, through the Wizengamot. He was a pureblood and Harry was his heir and son, and as much as he despised the pureblood agenda and legalities he had been taught how to use them to his advantage, so perhaps it was time to do so.

It would mean announcing the adoption, and making it clear to the world that Harry was his son and heir and that would make him a target for those seeking to gain the Black Lordship, however the ability it would give him to ensure his son was safe legally outweighed the risks. Once the truth was known he would be able to cite the instances where Dumbledore had gone against the laws and then he could try to obtain a magical oath to protect Harry, making Dumbledore swear not to interfere with his son unless given Sirius's permission to do so.

It wouldn't be more than a quick solution, keeping Dumbledore away from Harry until something more permanent such as his removal from his Headmaster position could be arranged, but it would give Harry some safety, and Sirius would do everything possible to ensure that nobody hurt his son again.

He mulled the idea's over in his head for a little longer before coming to a final decision. He would prepare for the announcement and proof of Harry's position for the next meeting of the Wizengamot they could both attend in a month's time, and at the same time he would begin to lay the groundwork for reducing Dumbledore's influence and power, so when it became necessary he could be removed with minimum of fuss, but firstly he would confront the old meddler once more, and obtain the answers he needed.

Poppy's entry was enough to pull him out of his thoughts as she bustled over, fresh salves and bandages levitating along behind her. She glanced down at the sleeping teen, eyes narrowing as she noticed the fresh blood stains before her gaze rose to Sirius, who regarded her a little warily, expecting a lecture. A faint flicker of amusement skated over her features before her gaze snapped back to the teen,

"When did he go back to sleep?" She asked crisply.

"About ten minutes ago," Sirius answered, "He was awake for about twenty minutes, maybe half an hour and he ate before he went back to sleep."

"That's a good sign," She said, her wand flying through the standard diagnostic charms, "The blood on the bandages however isn't," but as the results appeared in the air she continued, "Although the venom seems to be clear of his system, so the wounds can be healed." Sirius just nodded and moved out of the way as the medi-witch bustled forward, her hands already busy removing bandages, wiping away blood and smearing on salve before replacing the dressing.

Soon she was finished and Sirius moved forward, stroking his fingers through his son's hair. "Will he need anything more?" He asked quietly, tearing his eyes away from Harry for one moment to look at the nurse. Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips as she considered the situation for a few moments before shaking her head, "That dose will heal the wounds and he should be free to leave the Wing tomorrow morning, although if he is still exhausted I would prefer it if he stayed here for another day."

Sirius considered it for a moment before he spoke, "If it is only tiredness still affecting him tomorrow, would he be free to leave the Wing if he spent the rest of the day in bed in his room?" He glanced at her before hurriedly explaining his reasoning, "I don't doubt your expertise when it comes to these matters, however the Wing is rather exposed, as Ministry Officials and the press are able to gain access and I would rather have him in a place where they would be unable to disturb him."

Her expression which had been fierce when he had first spoken smoothed out into a slight frown. "This tournament has been nothing but problems and those blasted journalists think nothing is sacred. As long as you ensure he does rest I have no issues with Harry spending tomorrow on bed rest in your quarters." She surveyed him for a moment, "I presume you intend to stay the night here?" Sirius nodded immediately and for the first time that evening he saw a smile grace her face.

"You will find spare blankets in the cupboard under the bedside table," she told him then her eyes drifted to the sleeping boy, "He's been in this wing so many times," she said softly, "Often for up to a week at a time and nobody has ever stayed with him. His friends have visited of course, and often quite persistently too but I remember at the end of his first year, we sent notification to his muggle relatives that he had been gravely injured and but we never received any response." She looked at Sirius then and smiled, "You are the first person to do so, and I'm glad to see it. He's always been too lonely." With one last glance at the child who was sleeping peacefully she turned and headed back to her quarters and Sirius settled himself in the chair next to his son, to watch over him for the night.

* * *

Up in his office Albus Dumbledore was pacing, he had to admit that the events of the task had both surprised and shocked him, but his plan had also come to fruition and it had been enlightening to say the least to observe how Harry had handled the task. He was forced to admit that in the Champions Tent he had been caught off guard by the display of ambient magic he had witnessed. Whilst it had proved his theory about the blood adoption it had unsettled him at the same time.

The power that boy wielded was astounding and he had even felt a faint flicker of fear as he felt the magic build up in the tent, and what was even more unsettling was that he was certain the boy had not been aware of the magic that was pouring out of him. He thought he had experienced what ambient magic felt like when he had confronted Sirius but he was only now beginning to realise that he had only experienced the magic when it had been tightly controlled, the magic whipping around Harry had been raw, unfocused and wild and it frightened him. There was no knowing what damage it could inflict if Harry lost control of his temper.

He pushed that thought aside for a moment, Sirius had to know how to control it and would almost certainly teach him the skill, and as much as it pained him to admit it, he had no expertise when it came to ambient magic, for the moment it was more important to concentrate on his plan. His idea of testing Harry had certainly been inspired. He could have taken Mr Weasely or perhaps Miss Bones as his hostage but in the end taking Black had proved to be far more profitable, in terms of both information and testing.

His aim had been to see how Harry performed under pressure, when the threat was directed at someone he loved and although he wished it was not so – Black had far too much power and influence – he knew that the person the child loved most was his godfather. Harry had performed past his wildest expectations, not only had he completed the task in the shortest time, the only person to arrive before the time limit which for a fourteen year old was no mean feat, the injuries that he had sustained and ignored, and his exhaustion upon completion indicated that he was willing to sacrifice everything if it meant it would protect his family. He was pleased to see that mindset already in place as it meant, even with Black's interventions, that the boy would still be willing to sacrifice himself for the Wizarding World.

Albus Dumbledore smiled to himself as he sipped at his tea, despite the complication Black presented it was still possible to save the Wizarding World through Harry's sacrifice. Little did he know that the plans he was concocting would never see the light of day, particularly if Sirius Black had anything to say about it.

* * *

A faint light intruded into Harry's sleep and he stirred, moving his head slightly and letting out a small discontented sound when the light didn't go away. He heard the sound of a quiet chuckle above him and a hand buried itself in his hair. Sleepily he pushed up heavy eyelids to meet the kind face of his father, vaguely aware that he wasn't really in any pain.

"I'm getting you out of here before you're swarmed with reporters," Sirius murmured, threading his fingers through Harry's hair, a gesture that was both soothing and comforting. "Madam Pomfrey says you are to stay in bed today but you will be doing it in your own bed and not the hospital wing, you'll be safer there." Harry nodded clumsily, not really awake enough to fully comprehend what his father was telling him.

It was a testament to his tiredness that he didn't utter a single word of complaint when his father picked him up, cradling him protectively against his chest. Harry rested his head on Sirius's shoulder as the man carried him through the corridors which were mercifully devoid of people and back to his quarters. Reaching them, they entered and Sirius gently settled him in his own bed. "The house elves will bring us some breakfast and then you can go back to sleep pup." He told him as Harry pulled on his glasses, gradually trying to wake himself up.

He was glad to have escaped from the hospital wing as he had never really enjoyed spending time there. It was irritating to be forced to remain in bed for another day but when he actually focussed on how he was actually feeling he was forced to concede it was probably necessary. He had pushed himself to the utter limit, and that combined with his injuries meant that he needed the rest, and he was honest enough to admit that he didn't really feel like doing anything, and a bit more sleep was certainly an attractive prospect but still,

"Do I have to sleep all day?" He asked plaintively.

Sirius chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair, "You've got to stay in bed pup but I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you read some books, and perhaps later we could play a few rounds of chess, but I think after breakfast you should sleep a little more." There was no disguising the concern he heard in his father's voice.

Harry smiled slightly and leaned against his father's side. Sirius had sat on the edge of the bed and to Harry's mind it was a lot more comforting to snuggle up against his father, than rest against the pillows. Sirius smiled tenderly down at him and wrapped him in a one armed embrace as they waited for their breakfast.

Once they had eaten Sirius carefully removed the tray from the bed, making sure to brush away any stray crumbs before coaxing Harry back under the blankets and tucking him in. "Will you stay?" The boy asked drowsily.

Sirius sat down beside the bed, and carded his fingers through his child's messy black mop. "I'll stay until you go to sleep," he told Harry softly, "I've got to speak with a few people which might take a couple of hours but after that I promise I'll be here." He paused for a moment, and seeing the hints of fear and sadness in Harry's expression he continued, "I'll cast a charm over the room which will tell me when you wake up and if I'm not already here, I'll come back, okay pup?"

Harry considered the offer for a fraction of a second before nodding. He had already been surprised when his father had stayed the night with him, and even more surprised now when, even though he had other things he needed to do, he was still putting Harry first and nobody had ever done that for him before. He smiled tiredly up at his father and Sirius pressed a kiss to his forehead in response. "Sleep pup," he murmured tenderly, "Get better and I promise I'll be back when you wake."

As he had promised Sirius waited until he saw his son's breathing even out as the child slipped easily back into sleep. Once he was sure Harry was fast asleep he stood slowly, being careful not to make any noise that might wake the slumbering teen. With a wave of his wand and a muttered incantation he set up the charm that would alert him if Harry woke. Normally such a charm would be used on babies or very small children, but he didn't see any need to inform his son of that fact. Running his hand through the child's hair once more he turned and headed for Dumbledore's office, it was time and past to deal with a meddling Headmaster.

* * *

Dumbledore felt the wards surrounding his office vibrate, warning him of the coming staff member. He just caught a hint of magic leaking into the room before someone knocked sharply on his door. A quick glance at the spells revealed who his visitor was and he had to suppress a sigh, he did not want to have to deal with an irate Sirius Black now, but it seemed he had no choice. Schooling his voice so it betrayed no hint of his irritation he spoke. "Come in Sirius."

The Black Lord strode into the room, his eyes black and flashing with rage, and magic swirling round him like a cloak. It was an impressive show of power designed to intimidate and reluctantly Dumbledore had to admit it did intimidate him slightly. Ebony eyes fastened on him and when Black spoke his voice was cutting, "Nobody waiting to stun me in the back today Headmaster?" He asked sardonically but there was no mistaking the bite in his voice.

Dumbledore kept his calm mask up, although inside the faint flickers of fear and regret arched along his ribcage. He hadn't intended for Sirius to realise how he had been taken capture but he remembered, too late now, that Black had been an auror and was easily able to spot how he had been taken capture, but now that Sirius knew, and he hadn't denied it, he had given Black more leverage to use against him. "My hands were tied," he said in his most reasonable voice, "It had already been decided that you were to be Harry's hostage."

"You decided the hostages," Sirius shot back without missing a beat, "It would have been easy enough to choose another. However," his eyes darkened further and the magic rose, wrapping Sirius's form and licking at his desk, leaving black marks where it touched the wood, "The issue is not the choice of hostages, although I abhor your choice due to the effect it had on Harry, but rather the fact you have ignored any and all legal requirements in regards to Harry."

The Black Lord paused to allow that to sink in and Dumbledore felt the first hints of fear race through his body as the magic grew thick in the air. Just as the silence and magic had grown oppressive Sirius reigned the magic in, in a superb display of control and mastery of his own power. Dumbledore sucked in a breath with the sudden relief, but instantly his attention was focussed on Black as the man began to speak once more.

"I'm sure have already guessed but in case you are still awaiting confirmation, I have adopted Harry Potter by blood adoption. He is now my son and my heir, with all the legal protection and rights that confers on him as the son of the Lord of the House of Black." Sirius smiled, but the smile was flinty.

"As Headmaster of Hogwarts you should know precisely what this entails, but as you have made a practice of ignoring these laws I will remind you." Dumbledore ignored the clear jab as dismay filled him. He could suddenly see how he had erred and he realised precisely what Sirius could do under the old laws. But Sirius pretended not to notice the sudden flash of comprehension, instead continuing in a hard unrelenting voice.

"Harry is my child and as such my permission must be sought and granted before any activities which fall outside school discipline, OWL, NEWT and similar scores and legal prosecution can occur. You know this, he is not the only Lord's son to receive his education here but you seem to be disregarding the law when it comes to Harry and that ends now." The Black Lord wasn't shouting, instead he was talking with a quiet intensity that was somehow worse.

Albus pulled himself together, rallying his defences. "I am sorry that you seem to think I have overstepped my authority, however as you did not provide me with notification of your son's new status, I cannot be held accountable for the decisions I made and the actions I took..."

He trailed off when Sirius slammed his hand down on the desk, black fire burning in his eyes. "Ignorance of the law does not excuse you," he hissed, "And Albus, I warned you, warned you about what would happen if you hurt my son again, if you overstepped your authority and I am not one to break my promises."

Dumbledore could hear the threat in the man's voice and unobtrusively he reached for his wand, he needed to contain this situation before it got out of hand. He knew that Sirius would not back down from his threat, would carry out whatever he felt was necessary to protect his son. Part of him marvelled at the love that must prompt Sirius into this action, love so vast for the child in his care that he would do anything to ensure his protection from anything he regarded as a threat, and as this conversation had revealed to him, what Sirius now viewed him as.

His wand wasn't even halfway out its sheath, when a powerful surge of magic pounded into him, sending him flying backwards and pinning him against the wall, as the wand was torn from his grip. Dumbledore made the mistake of looking down and realised with a flash of fear that there was nothing but pure magic suspending him in midair, and he met the enraged eyes of the Black Lord.

"Is it not enough," he hissed, pure venom in his voice, "That you hurt my child by forcing him to compete in this farce, and deliberately choosing in such a way as to hurt him the most? Must you now attempt to draw your wand on the only parent he has left?"

"Everything I have done has been in the best interests of Harry," Dumbledore tried to protest but lesser men would have quailed at the look Sirius Black sent him then.

"Best interests," he said, his voice icy and his visage every bit as black as his name, "No Albus, your actions are not in the best interest of my son. They have not been for a long time now and that is why I have started legal proceedings. You will stay away from my child, or you will risk your magic. It is your choice."

Dumbledore felt like something had collided at him at high speed, knocking all semblance of rational thought from his mind at that statement. If he had been thinking he would never have said what he did then, "But you can't," he gasped out, "Harry must be trained or he will be unable to sacrifice himself." The instant the words left his mouth he froze. He had never meant to reveal that much, that Harry would have to die in order for Voldemort to be defeated.

Sirius stood still, eyes blazing as he glared at the man pined to the wall, trying desperately to understand what Dumbledore had just said, what he had implied but when the words and their implications settled in his gut cold fury swept through him, and his magic responded. Flaring up and becoming almost tangible as it fed of his anger. "Tell me," he grated out through clenched teeth, "Why I should let you live when you have just revealed you are training my child to kill himself?"

Dumbledore flinched at the harsh tone and blunt words. As much as he abhorred killing, once he had discovered the horcrux that resided in Harry's scar, and received confirmation that Tom had indeed made these items when Harry brought him the diary, he had come to the realisation that in order for Voldemort to be defeated Harry would have to die and he was preparing the boy for that eventuality. However the growing pressure in the room as the ambient magic grew, pressing down on him as it fed on the Black Lord's rage gallivanted him into speaking once more. He had kept these secrets for years but he was under no illusions that if he didn't reveal the horcrux, he would never leave the room alive.

Drawing a deep breath he gazed down at the child's father with sad, regretful eyes. "Harry is a horcrux," he said softly. The sudden flash of understanding in Sirius's eyes prompted him to continue, "His scar contains a piece of Voldemorts soul, so in order for Voldemort to die Harry must die. It is regrettable but it is necessary." He looked into steady grey eyes, noting the lack of shock or fear at the news and came to an uncomfortable realisation. "You already knew?" He phrased it as a question and was unsurprised to see the Black Lord nod, although his ire was still simmering below the surface.

"The horcrux was discovered by the goblins," Sirius told the old man briskly, no hint of his inner turmoil showing on his face. His rage at the old man had in no way abated, he was still furious at the man for even contemplating killing his child, although with his information it was a little more understandable. Part of him was disgusted that the Headmaster had known about the horcrux and yet had done nothing to see it if could be removed, or even attempted to find a way. The man had had years to research and plan and yet he had done nothing, content to sit by and train Harry into sacrificing his life for the Wizarding World, or Dumbledore's much vaunted Greater Good.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the old man's sigh of relief, "You understand then why Harry must die."

"I understand nothing of the bloody sort," he shot back instantly, not missing the alarm that skittered across Dumbledore's features,

"If Harry does not die Voldemort will never be vanquished," Dumbledore said urgently, "We cannot sacrifice millions to save one boy. For the good of the Wizarding World Harry must die, and must die at Voldemort's hand." The pure magic the surged out of Sirius at that statement pounded into Albus, leaving him gasping for breath and lightheaded. By the time his vision cleared he was staring into eyes so dark they had turned jet black.

"Harry will not be sacrificed like some pawn," Sirius shouted, "Even if the bloody horcrux was still in his head, he would not be dying by Voldemort's hand." Those words brought Dumbledore up short,

"If it were still in his head?" He repeated numbly and Sirius sent him a look filled with scorn.

"The goblins were able both to recognise and remove it," he told him scathingly, "Something you would have known if you had ever taken the time to see if there were any alternatives but no you insisted that my child had to die and didn't even bother to look!" By the end Black was shouting, his anger a palpable thing as he reprimanded the older wizard. And Dumbledore let him. He had never considered that there might be another option beside the child's death and he was ashamed. He had condemned Harry to death without even bothering to look at the alternatives and he deserved everything the Black Lord could throw at him.

Suddenly he realised that Black was still speaking and that he hadn't been paying any attention to the words. "Harry will not be sacrificed for any reason," he was saying, his voice hard, "It is not the job of the child to do an adult's work, Voldemort is our problem, and should never have been Harry's responsibility. A responsibility you seem all too keen on giving him." Dumbledore said nothing, refusing to rise to the bait and reveal more information, too much had been revealed already, he had only been fortunate that Black already knew about the horcruxes.

Sirius regarded him for several long moments, the silence stretching until it became uncomfortable. Dumbledore was about to draw on his reserves of Gryffindor courage when the man spoke.

"I used to trust you Albus," He said quietly, no hint of anger in his voice but rather an icy control which was somehow more dangerous, "We all did, James, Remus, Frank, Alice, everyone in the Order, we looked up to the wise Albus Dumbledore, Leader of the Light to solve the problem that was Voldemort." He paused, but his eyes that still shone black with the anger that boiled just below the surface bored into him, "How many died because you did not listen to others or share information? How many more did you sacrifice for your Greater Good? How many did you train to sacrifice themselves like you were doing with Harry?" He let the questions hang in the air for several moments, watching impassively as flickers of shame, grief and determination passed over the old wizard's features.

"You have made many mistakes," Sirius said softly, but there was an air of malice in his tone. "But your last mistake was threatening my child, and that is something I will not let go unpunished." He paused to let that sentence sink in, and watched as Dumbledore's face pale as he realised he was held in the air by ambient magic, wandless and completely at Sirius's mercy.

Sirius knew he had to act now. Dumbledore had managed to put him completely at his mercy, he was wandless and suspended by the ambient magic the pulsed with his anger, acting under his control. It was the kind of opportunity he thought he would not receive but the man had blundered and it was up to Sirius to capitalise on that mistakes and make sure Harry was protected before he left the room.

"There are three options," the Black Lord said slowly and Albus's eyes snapped up at the possibility of hope, "I could pursue this legally through the courts, between what the Ministry owes me, the pureblood laws and Harry's position as the Boy-Who-Lived it would be an open and shut case, or I could oust you from this castle and prevent you from ever having contact with Harry again, or finally I could make you swear an unbreakable vow never to harm Harry or manipulate him in any way. It is your choice."

The Headmaster pondered the decision for a minute. He wasn't stupid and he knew he had to take one of these options, and he knew that Black would not have made any of the threats if he was not certain he could carry them out. He knew he couldn't leave the castle, it would leave the school and students vulnerable when Tom regained his body, and a prolonged struggle with the Wizengamot - especially as it would force him to leave his position as Chief Warlock which would lose him the ability to influence the ministry, something that would be key in the next war - would hinder him greatly. Not to mention, if he lost the case, he would also be making some form of binding magical contract or unbreakable vow.

Yes, he thought to himself. He would take the unbreakable vow, such things always had ways of working around them. It was a complication although not a huge one. Now he knew that the horcrux had been removed he no longer needed to prepare the child to sacrifice himself, but rather train him to defend himself, and he would have to revise his plans anyway. An unbreakable vow would not be a huge handicap, and it would get Black off his case although the man would merit watching from now on.

He pulled together what remained of his shattered dignity and drew himself up. "I am willing to take an unbreakable vow Sirius," he said commandingly, as if it had been his intention all along. Sirius made a slight noise of derision which Dumbledore chose to ignore. "I presume your floo is open," Black said suddenly and Albus nodded, caught off guard by the sudden subject change. However his intentions became clear a second later when the man threw a handful of powder in a spoke to Remus Lupin, briefly outlining the situation.

As soon as he had finished Sirius strode over to the desk and grabbed a piece of parchment, hurriedly scrawling something down. "Remus will act as bonder," he said without looking away from his work. "He will look over the vow and then you will take it." Albus didn't allow any of his surprise to show on his face, he hadn't expected to have to take the vow that instant but he wasn't given an option as Remus Lupin stepped through the floo, glanced over the piece of paper, making an amendment here and there.

A glance from Black released the ambient magic holding him pinned and he slumped gracelessly to the floor. It gave him a little satisfaction to see Black reach out to steady himself as he released the magic, evidently it wasn't as effortless to wield as it had seemed, but the moment of weakness passed quickly and before Albus could attempt to regain control of the situation, a werewolf was hauling him to his feet, handing him a piece of parchment, and Sirius had taken his hand, Remus's wand poised ready to cast.

Dumbledore barely had time to register what was on the parchment before the Black Lord started to speak, evidently he didn't want to leave anything to chance.

"Do you Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore swear never to harm or conspire to harm Harry James Potter, son of Lily Potter, James Potter and Sirius Black, Heir to the Houses of Black and Potter, and never to command others to harm him?"

"I do." The first flame twined round their clasped hands.

"And do you swear never to interact with Harry James Potter outside of the duties of Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry without the express permission of Sirius Orion Black, Lord of the House of Black?"

"I do." The second flame reached out to join the first, and Sirius though he detected the first hint of alarm in the old wizard's eyes as he realised just how restrictive the vows were.

"And do you swear never to force Harry James Potter to commit any action against his will, and to never use others to influence or manipulate him?"

Sirius saw the Headmaster hesitate slightly before finishing the oath and he knew he had been right in his actions. The man would not let the vow stop him, it would curtail his activities to be sure, and it would provide Harry with a measure of safety, but it would not ensure Harry's safety in the long run. He would have to continue with his plans to remove the old wizard, but the vow had bought him precious time and ensured Harry had a measure of protection until he was able to remove the old bastard.

With a promise to Remus that he'd speak later the werewolf departed and Sirius surveyed the man before him. For the moment Albus Dumbledore was neutralised but he was a fool to think it would stay that way, and there were still answers he needed. However a glance at the time and the first faint stirrings from the alarm he had placed on his son's room indicated that his child was beginning to wake.

"This issue is not finished," he warned the man, "There are still answers I require, and answers that you will give me." His voice was soft and it contained a promise that his words were not merely idle threats, "But my son is waking, and I promised I would be there, and you are not going to make me break that promise." He nodded shortly at the Headmaster, before spinning on his heel and striding out of his office, leaving one contemplative Headmaster behind him.

Sirius used the walk back to his quarters to clear his head and remove the last vestiges of his anger. He knew better than anyone else the influence the Dursleys had had on his child and he was not going to risk the trust his son had in him by seeing his anger. He slipped quietly into the room, removing the spell with a flick of his wand, just as his son stirred, eyelids fluttering open.

"Hey there pup," he murmured and instantly Harry's eyes snapped to him, disbelief and affection warring in their gaze. Gently he slipped the teen's glasses onto his face, and he saw the happiness and delight in his son's expression as he realised that Sirius had kept his promise, had come back and stayed with him. "Thanks Dad," Harry whispered and Sirius smiled tenderly at his child, "Anything for you Harry,"

The child ducked his head, embarrassed, but also pleasure shining in his eyes at the obvious love and affection Sirius held for him. Sirius couldn't help but smile at his son, but as he watched him the impact of Dumbledore's words hit him. He had been planning to sacrifice his son, his precious child. He had heard the words, and he had responded in anger, fear and protectiveness but looking at his child now the full impact of what would happen if the Headmaster had succeeded struck him.

Instinctively he reached out, gathering his child into an embrace and holding him close, protectively. He felt Harry tense slightly at the unexpected contact before he relaxed, burrowing into his embrace. "Dad?" Harry asked a little anxiously. He didn't mind being pulled into the embrace, in fact he enjoyed the security and warmth of being wrapped in his father's arms but the gesture had been unexpected, and as much as his father was trying to hide it, he could tell that Sirius was upset.

"Dad?" he asked again when Sirius didn't answer. The animgus sighed, stroking his fingers through Harry's hair.

"Just some things Dumbledore revealed upset me pup," he murmured eventually, keeping Harry securely tucked in his embrace, "He knew about the horcruxes and," Sirius paused, he didn't want to frighten his son but he knew that he needed to be aware of Dumbledore's scheming if he was to be on his guard and protect himself from it. Eventually deciding there was no way of saying this gently he ploughed on, "He knew you were one and was training you to sacrifice yourself for the 'Greater Good'."

Blank shock flashed across Harry's face before Sirius felt him slump in his arms. He tightened his grip, pulling his child closer and giving as much comfort and support as he could to the child in his arms. "I trusted him," Harry's voice was barely above a whisper and it was thick with revulsion, "But all this time he's been planning my death." Emerald eyes turned to regard Sirius, pleading with him to tell him it was false but that was something Sirius could not do.

"I'm sorry Harry," he murmured, his voice filled with tenderness and sympathy, "But he admitted that he intended to have Voldemort kill you in order to save the Wizarding World." Harry regarded him for several more moments before suddenly he collapsed in Sirius's arms, snuggling as close to his father as possible and burying his face in his shoulder as his whole body shook. Gently Sirius rubbed his back, murmuring soothing reassurances and comfort. Eventually the shaking stopped and Harry raised his head to look Sirius in the eye.

"I know it hurts," his father said softly, capturing his attention, "You trusted him to take care of you and he betrayed you in the worst way possible, but I swear Harry that I will never let him hurt you, and I will always love and protect you."

Harry looked up at the man who had cared for him, loved him, adopted him as his own and he knew that every word was the complete truth. Despite Dumbledore's betrayal he would always have his father and that was something that nobody would take from him again.

* * *

Hi all, I know it is a little late but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!

Just to inform you, I'm taking my first lot of A level exams this week (think NEWT's for those not familiar with the British system) so I'll have little time to write. Therefore expect the next update to be up to a week late, and for those who read A Godfather's Bond, the update due this week is also likely to be late.

Thanks for understanding and please review!


	31. Plots and Planning

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 30 – Plots and Planning**

Albus Dumbledore stared at the closed door of his office for several long minutes. How was it that in the space of a mere hour all his plans, plans that had been years in crafting and perfecting could be destroyed? He didn't know what to think, firstly there had been the revelation that the horcrux had been destroyed, Harry no longer tethered Voldemort to life, and then the shock of the unbreakable vow and the impact of Sirius's willingness to do everything in his considerable power to limit his access to Harry.

If it had been any other man Dumbledore would have pushed aside any suggestion that they could outsmart him, could trap him but not Sirius, not any longer. He had underestimated Sirius once and he had paid the price when the man had succeeded in doing the one thing so many of his enemies, both political and on the battlefield had failed to do, namely to trap him. It was not something he intended to repeat, he would not underestimate Sirius Black again.

The Black Lord was many things. Dumbledore knew that despite the prankster he had been in his Hogwarts days Black was clever. He had achieved outstanding NEWT's, particularly in Defence and Transfiguration and both he and James had gone on to be the youngest Hit-Wizards in the Auror Corps and as a pair they still held the record for the highest number of takedown's in a single year. That brought him to the second point, Black was more than a competent fighter, and whilst Dumbledore knew his years in Azkaban would have eroded his physical strength, his mind and abilities remained clear, and he had no doubt that since his escape Black had been building himself up and he would soon be back to his old strength and fitness.

It made him dangerous. Black had both the power and mind to pose a threat, and with the libraries of both the Black and Potter families at his disposal he also had the information and knowledge if he needed it. Azkaban had changed him, whilst Sirius still had the hints of the rashness that had led to his incarceration; he was not the same man that had fought in the first war. Dumbledore realised now that he had lost all the trust of Black and he was unlikely to regain it. Sirius had become ruthless, dealing with any threat to Harry, quickly and efficiently and he knew that the man would not allow anything to harm his son.

It was one of the few thoughts that gave him hope. Everything that Black had done, and everything that Black was planning was motivated by the huge, overwhelming love he had for his son. Azkaban might have hardened him and bred in him a stringent distrust for the authority figures in their world but his devotion to the child remained absolute, Black would do anything for Harry. It both frightened him and strengthened him. Sirius would not turn Dark while that love remained, it was not possible to love somebody that deeply and be Dark, as the Dark fed of hate and rage and love was a poison to it, and from everything he had observed he knew that Sirius would always love his son. But that love frightened him also, Sirius now viewed him as an enemy and in response to the protectiveness that stemmed from that love, he would do everything to remove the threat.

The unbreakable vow had only been the first part and Albus was well aware of this. It would stop him, curtail his activities when it came to Harry but he would work around it and he was sure his nimble mind would come up with several ideas soon but it would never be a long term solution in Sirius's eyes. The wording had been clever, and it would stop him from ever trying to hurt or sacrifice Harry, but the main difficulty was trying to get around the second vow, namely not to interact with Harry outside of his duties as Headmaster without Sirius's permission.

Of course he could try to obtain the man's permission but he was not a fool and he knew that Sirius would not give it to him, or at the very least he would only agree under stringent conditions, and one of them was likely to be that he was present and that he showed Sirius what he wanted to do ahead of time. It was not something he could share with the man and it was not conductive for trying to train the boy but at the moment there were no other options, however he did have time to think and to try to work out how to train Harry without breaking the vow, whilst watching for whatever scheme Sirius had in place to try to ensure he would never be a threat again.

The other main issue he had to face was his plan to deal with Voldemort. Some aspects remained unchanged, he was still going to track down all of Tom's horcruxes and he would teach Harry once he could find a way around the vow, but others would have to change drastically. Already he was considering how to train Harry to fight Tom, because without the horcrux the prophecy had become a lot more woolly, particularly the last line. If Harry didn't have to die, did that mean it was certain that he would be the one to kill Tom, or was it something else entirely, something that he had overlooked?

Albus Dumbledore didn't know and that disquieted him. He was accustomed to having all the necessary information, or at the very least a plan to obtain the information and every plan had been made and finalised to the minuitest detail years in advance. Of course unexpected events did crop up – the chamber was a prime example – but he could usually turn those situations to his advantage, however he was now working in the dark and that thought scared him.

Forcefully he pushed that thought from his mind. He was Albus Dumbledore, Leader of the Light, he would come up with a solution, with a plan because he had to. He would not the Wizarding World fall no matter what had to be sacrificed in the process, and to hell with Sirius Black and the unbreakable vow. He would not fail, he couldn't fail anyone again.

* * *

Sirius leant back into his armchair and let out a sigh. Harry had gone back to sleep a few minutes ago, and while he would have let him go back to the dorm if he had wanted to, Poppy had pronounced him completely fit a few hours previously, he was much happier knowing his son was safe in his room, and that he would only be a few seconds away if he was needed.

Harry might have been good at hiding his feelings from most of the world but Sirius knew that the revelation that Dumbledore had been training him to be a martyr had shocked his son to the core. Harry's trust, already shaky due to his experiences at the hands of the Dursleys had just received another blow and Sirius wasn't sure that the child would ever give more than a few people his complete trust and he was certain that Dumbledore wouldn't regain the trust he had lost. He knew that at the moment he was the only adult Harry trusted and that it was likely it would remain that way for some time yet.

His child had been quiet for the rest of the afternoon, playing chess half-heartedly and he had immediately shot down any suggestion that Hermione and Ron might visit. Sirius hadn't pushed him, knowing that Harry needed time to digest and come to terms with what Dumbledore had planned for him, and he knew that he could do nothing more than reassure his son that he was safe, and be there when Harry needed him.

He felt anger bubble up in his gut. Harry had been recovering, learning to trust again and it hadn't been easy, and now Dumbledore's plans had destroyed some of the fragile progress that had been made. He knew that his son trusted and loved him and he was humbled that he had managed to gain that trust and at the same time he vowed that he would never do anything to break that trust. Restless feet pulled him to Harry's bedroom door, and he slipped in, sinking down onto the chair beside the bed, his hand instinctively reaching out and burying itself in Harry's hair.

His child looked so much younger when he slept, and he could see the vulnerability and fragility that Harry could conceal when he was awake writ large across his features. Sirius stroked his fingers through the messy black hair, a gesture which was calming to both himself and Harry. His son had seen too much, experienced too much in his short life and part of Sirius acknowledged that Harry had seen too much to be considered a child, but he was also aware that he was also in desperate need of the love and security of a parent to support him. Poppy was right, he had been alone far too long, but Sirius swore to himself that no matter what the future would bring he would be there for Harry and he would protect him, and speaking of protecting...

Dumbledore was becoming a problem, scratch that, he had been a problem for a long time but he was now a danger. He had lost the element of surprise with the unbreakable vow, and while he knew it was necessary it also meant that he would have to move fast and he would have to be a lot more subtle about his plans as he knew that the man would be on the lookout for any schemes that he could try to pull.

To Sirius's mind there was only one option left, he needed to remove Dumbledore, but he also needed to do it in such a way that would enable him to have access to the information the old meddler had been squirreling away all these years. The revelation that he had known that Harry had been a horcrux indicated that he knew a lot about Voldemort and what he had done to survive, and Sirius knew that in order to remove that threat he would need the man's expertise, but not in a place where he could have access to Harry.

That left one solution, he needed to remove Dumbledore as Headmaster and ensure that school was passed to somebody he trusted and didn't end up in the hands of the ministry as he didn't trust that idiot Fudge as far as he could throw him. Out of those two aims he somehow thought the first would be easier, especially as the ministry was a corrupt power-grubbing institution and would not leave Hogwarts alone once they had any sort of influence there, the Board of Governers was just one example.

As he thought about it he realised he could start the process of removing Dumbledore right now, and he could begin to lay the groundwork. He knew it had to be done in such a way as to ensure that the school didn't fall to the ministry, which meant they could not be involved in any way, shape or form and he would have to be discreet. He puzzled over it for several moments before the first part of the solution occurred to him.

He needed to gradually sow the seeds of doubt about Dumbledore, not destroying his myth, it was too strong for him to do so covertly and any open action would alert the ministry, but by highlighting the mistakes he had made, portraying him as a hero of the light that had done his duty to the Wizarding World and had sacrificed the majority of his life to that goal and was now deserving of rest and retirement, letting his chosen – in reality Sirius's – deputy take over in his place. The trick would be to make it appear that it was the idea of the public and when it came it would be hard for Dumbledore to resist the people who would not take no for an answer.

It would require a lot of careful publicity, and Sirius was suddenly thankful that he owned a majority share in the Daily Prophet, using his connections there he could begin to write articles to that affect, maybe publish a book on the life of Albus Dumbledore, showing how he had done his duty to the Wizarding World and he deserved his rest. Sirius thought he could give that project to Remus, the man had always been the best writer and researcher of the Marauders and he knew that Remus had problems holding a job. This opportunity would allow him to ensure his friend had enough to support himself and it would allow that portion of his scheme to be carried out without his input, making it easier to avoid rousing the old man's suspicions.

The second thing he needed was allies. As much as he loathed the idea, he knew that this was a battle he couldn't fight alone. He needed somebody competent to take over the reins at Hogwarts once Dumbledore was removed and he knew that he wasn't qualified for the job. He also needed allies on the political front, so that when the coup came he wasn't faced with strong opposition from the ministry or a power grab.

Mentally he started flicking through names, Remus would be ideal on the research and more covert operations branches but he wouldn't be suited for the political battles or the Headmaster position simply because the prejudice in the magical world was so strong. Out of the Hogwarts Professors Minerva showed potential, she had apologised and her experience regarding the Dursleys had opened her eyes to some of the mistakes Dumbledore had already made, and Pomora, Poppy and Flitwick could probably be convinced although he would have to sound them out carefully.

The political front would be a bit harder, he had the Black seat and was proxy for the Potter seat but the first time he could attend would be in the Easter Session, and then the summer would be upon them and he really didn't want to leave it that long as ideally he wanted Dumbledore out by early next year. Pursing his lips he considered who might make alliances, he might be able to get the support of some of the purebloods and as much as he detested them, he knew they would support him if it meant that they could remove Dumbledore but the problem came when he needed to ensure that they didn't get their claws into Hogwarts either. Some of the Light Families would also ally with House Potter, Augusta Longbottom for example was a formidable politician, but many would be leery of Sirius, purely because of his family and the accusations.

Amelia Bones would be someone he wanted to get on his side. The way she had handled his case showed him clearly that she believed in justice and wasn't about to take stick from anyone, and would resist being manipulated with everything she had. Unfortunately though it meant it was unlikely she would become part of his schemes without him explaining precisely why he had decided to take this path, although she would probably support his proposals as long as they were just and fair.

That left the neutrals. It certainly had its possibilities, they would listen to his arguments and he thought many believed that Dumbledore had too much power. He nodded to himself, he would approach some of the neutrals and the more tolerant Light Families, although he would approach the light from the Potter angle and the neutrals from the Black and Potter seats.

That decided Sirius felt his eyes drift down to gaze on the peaceful face of his child, fierce loving welling up in his heart. He would do anything for his son. He stroked his fingers through the boy's messy hair once more before pressing a kiss to his son's forehead and quietly exiting the room. He wanted nothing more than to stay with his son but he knew in order to ensure that his child would be protected he had to act, and he had promised to explain to Remus precisely what was going on.

A floo call and a few minutes later, the rumpled form of Remus Lupin stepped through the fireplace and sank into the offered armchair gratefully. Surveying his friend with a critical eye, Sirius noticed that the man's robes looked more patched than they had even a few months before and he was suddenly very glad that he was going to offer his friend a proper job. Remus had a tough time getting work due to his 'little furry problem' and he didn't want to lose another friend simply because he couldn't get enough money to feed himself adequately.

"What's all this about Sirius," Remus asked, as he settled himself down comfortably, the full moon had been the previous night and his sore bones were grateful for the comfort. "I got the rushed explanation when you dragged me out here to be bonder but I'd prefer a full one if you don't mind." The half exasperated, half amused tone that the words were spoken in was classic Moony and Sirius could clearly remember when that voice had been used on both himself and James, usually when they were planning some elaborate scheme that would inevitably end in detention.

For a moment he allowed himself to remember but he quickly pulled himself out of it, tonight was not a time for reminiscing, but rather he needed to make Remus understand and bring him on board. Quickly, but this time sparing no details he told his old friend precisely what had led up to the confrontation and why he had been summoned to act as a bonder and what he now wanted him to do.

To his credit Remus only interrupted twice, first when Sirius went into detail about the adoption, to convey his congratulations and his pleasure at that development, expressing how good he thought it was for both Sirius and Harry, and secondly when Sirius told him of what Dumbledore had been planning for Harry. Rage and shock competed in Remus's face and for a second Sirius saw the wolf take control as Remus's eyes flashed amber but a second later the werewolf had regained control.

"He was planning to what?" He finally gasped out.

"You heard me," Sirius replied his voice grim, "He was training Harry to a martyr for the Wizarding World, and he was going to make sure Harry died at Voldemort's hand."

Remus shook his head slowly, trying to digest the information. "It's hard to believe," he said slowly, "He's the man I looked up to more than any other, he gave me a chance when nobody else would, and to hear he has been trying to do something so despicable..." He trailed off, shock and no small hint of anger dominating his features.

"But you don't need to worry Padfoot, the cub comes first and he will always come first and if we are able to get rid of that dark bastard who murdered Lily and James at the same time I'm in with whatever hare-brained scheme you've thought up this time." A slight smirk with the last words took any sting off the teasing, but the fierceness in his voice told Sirius that he had an invaluable ally, not that he had really expected differently from his old friend.

"I'm glad you said that." Quickly Sirius outlined his proposal but when he came to the issue of paying him Remus baulked.

"No Remus," Sirius said firmly, cutting him off when he started to repeat himself. "You'll be working hard for this, researching and trying to follow up leads, writing articles, dealing with the Daily Prophet and Rita Skeeter, a task I wouldn't wish on anyone as well as trying to come up with some sensible solutions for Hogwarts, finding a way to ensure that Dumbledore can't interfere once he is removed and trying to chase down and research horcruxes. That's more work that most paying jobs would have you doing so you certainly won't have time to work, so it only stands to reason that I pay you."

The werewolf started to object once more, and finally fed up Sirius broke in.

"Look Moony, you agreed you'd do the work – I've got the Black fortune, plus the hefty sum those idiots paid me as compensation for Azkaban and I'm going to pay you whether you like it or not and you can't tell me that James wouldn't have done the exact same thing. It's not charity, you'll bloody well earn every single knut twice over so stop objecting and accept it."

One glance at Sirius's face told Remus Lupin that his friend was not going to budge a single inch and reluctantly he agreed. He hated charity, his pride was one of the few things the wizarding world couldn't take from him, but if he was honest with himself he knew that the money would be more than welcome and that he probably would earn every single knut, particularly as they were going up against Dumbledore of all people.

For a few more minutes they discussed the precise details, where would be good places to start, what issues took greater priority and the things that needed to be done quickly and the articles that Sirius wanted published within the term. But soon their conversation returned to other matters, the history that the castle walls held for both of them, Harry and their plans for the summer.

It was getting late when Remus finally stood to leave, "Take care of yourself Padfoot, I know you'll do everything you can to care for Harry but don't sacrifice yourself to do it. Harry needs his father whole and healthy."

Sirius's throat was suspiciously tight as he answered, "I don't want to fail him again Moony."

"And you won't Sirius," Remus told him firmly, "You love him too much to ever fail him, but I meant it, he needs you healthy, you mean so much to him it would hurt him badly if you were hurt." Sirius blinked back the moisture threatening his eyes.

"I know," he said thickly, "And I won't do anything to hurt him." Remus smiled at him and clasped his shoulder with one firm hand before stepping into the floo and vanishing, leaving a thoughtful Sirius Black behind.

* * *

Harry woke the next morning feeling much better than he had the previous day. He wasn't looking forward to facing the school again, he might have won the task but he was aware that everyone would have seen how badly he was injured and the rumour mill would have been running a full tilt. Not to mention he wasn't sure how he would deal with returning to the life of the school and having to see Dumbledore again when he knew precisely what the man had been planning.

It perplexed him that somebody who had been nothing but kind to him, and had listened to him when no other adult had, had been at the selfsame time planning his death and how best to sacrifice him. He didn't give out his trust easily and before he had met Sirius he had trusted the man more than he had trusted any other adult, perhaps with the exception of Hagrid and Remus and to find this out had left him feeling betrayed in the worst way possible. It didn't seem real but he knew his father would never lie to him, and he had seen how upset Sirius had been.

The revelation felt somehow worse for the position Dumbledore had taken in his life. He had been the kind, wise Grandfather figure who would always do what was best, and that was what he was supposed to do. With his Uncle and Aunt he had known that he could never trust them, he had know that they would try to hurt and trick him, and often they would manage to harm him and sometimes badly, but the Headmaster hadn't been supposed to betray his trust, he had supposed to be one of the few adults who would listen and not hurt him when really he had been as bad as his Uncle.

To Harry his crime was worse, he hadn't had the decency to show what he really was, not like his Uncle or even Snape. He knew what to expect from them, they didn't hide and he could be on his guard and he could protect himself, or at least try to but Dumbledore had hidden and therefore made it so that he couldn't even try to resist. It wasn't right, people should be honest, and they shouldn't hide and pretend to care when they felt the opposite, all it did was destroy any trust or relationship when it was discovered.

A gentle hand on his shoulder made him look up, straight into the grey eyes of his father that were shining down on him full of concern. He saw that Sirius's clothes were crumpled, a clear sign that he had slept in them, and a glance to the side revealed a discarded blanket draped over the side of the chair beside his bed. He felt a surge of gratitude well up inside him as he realised that his father had stayed with him all night.

Surprising even himself Harry threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around his father and clinging on desperately. In the next instant he felt Sirius return the embrace even as the man pulled him gently onto his lap and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "What is it pup?" he murmured, just as surprised as Harry at the teen's sudden movement.

Harry didn't know how to answer, part of him had just wanted the comfort of knowing his father was there, that he hadn't abandoned or betrayed him and that he never would, part of him was trying to show how happy he was that Sirius cared and loved him enough to stay with him and always be there and some of it was just because he was upset and confused and he just wanted, no matter how childish it was, to be held by his father and be promised that everything would be alright.

When he didn't answer he heard his father sigh softly, "It's alright to need comfort sometimes," Sirius said quietly, "The number of times I have ranted at Remus because I couldn't keep the emotions bottled up, or that I have come to check on you at night just because I need to reassure myself that you are here and safe are too many to count. I know you are still stewing over Dumbledore pup, and I wish I could give you some answers but the truth is that I don't really understand myself, all I can do is make sure you are safe."

Harry smiled slightly and leant back against his father's chest. He didn't know how Sirius was able to understand what he was feeling and where his father go the ability to cheer him up or calm him down with just a few words but he was thankful he could. "Thanks Dad," he whispered and in response he felt his father kiss his forehead. It would have been a suitable time to move off Sirius's lap, but Harry was far too comfortable where he was and nobody else could see him so he was completely content to remain curled up in Sirius's lap and tucked into his father's embrace.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying a time when there were no demands on either of them, but Sirius eventually spoke. "I think we ought to continue the training sessions we had for the second task pup." Harry looked up, a hint of confusion in his eyes, they hadn't been given any clues about the third task so how were they supposed to practice?

"I know we don't have any information Harry," Sirius told him softly, "But the time would still be useful, we can do some more work on your animagus form, to see if you can master it before then and I want to do some work on controlling the ambient magic with you, if you know how to control it, you will have a measure of protection that will be helpful no matter what the third task is and we could also practice a few spells, it wouldn't hurt to improve your repertoire."

Harry considered it for a moment before nodded. It certainly sounded like a good plan and he looked forward to being able to change into his wolf at will, and to be able to keep Remus company when he came over to spend the full moon on Black Island. There was just one issue, "Can we invite Ron and Hermione to the animagus lessons Dad? I was learning with them and it wouldn't be fair to keep them out of it."

"Of course," Sirius answered instantly, "I was a fool to forget that you would want to include your friends, but it wouldn't be sensible if they joined us for the control lessons." Harry agreed easily, it was nice to include his friends in the animagus training but the control lessons were a different story. Although he knew it wouldn't matter if he struggled and made a fool of himself in front of them the ambient magic was something special to him, it was the proof he was really Sirius's son now and no matter how silly it seemed, he wasn't willing to share that with anyone else, it was something that he could do with his father that would be a family thing.

His attention was pulled from his thoughts when he heard his father sigh, "As much as I'd like to stay here, I think we're expected at breakfast pup." Harry pulled a face and reluctantly slipped of Sirius's lap and hurried to get changed. Now that he thought about it he was starving and he knew it would be nice to see his friends again as he was uncomfortably aware that he basically ignored them for the past two days and he was feeling a little guilty.

A minute or two later he emerged from his bedroom to see his father waiting for him by the portrait hole. Harry started to open it but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "There's just something I need you to promise me," Sirius said, his voice grave, "I need you to promise that you will not go to Dumbledore's office or answer any summons from the Headmaster alone. If he asks for you, for any reason at all, I need you to ask for me and to refuse to cooperate until I am there, and that goes for any situation where you are alone with him."

Grey eyes regarded him steadily, conveying the seriousness of the request and Harry nodded instantly, "I promise Dad." Since the revelations about what his Headmaster had been planning he had been loath to spend any time with the man and it was a request that would be easy to honour. He saw the relief on his father's face and he felt a sudden flash of unease as he realised that Sirius didn't trust Dumbledore not to try anything despite the vow that bound him.

Sirius smiled at him, the expression lightening the darkness in his eyes and he reached out to ruffle Harry's hair affectionately. "Come on pup," he said quietly "I'm sure you want some food and your friends must be concerned about you." Harry felt guilt prickle in his stomach at the reminder but he didn't have time to dwell on it as they were soon heading briskly towards the Great Hall, his father lightening the mood by explaining one of the harmless pranks they had played on the Headmaster when they were at school.

Harry was chuckling at the image of Dumbledore in a bright pink ballet dress with his hair dyed neon green, just as his father had intended him to as they reached the Great Hall. Sirius squeezed his child's shoulders gently before giving him a slight push in the direction of the Gryffindor table and following him into the hall a few seconds later.

Harry had been preparing himself for a large reaction when he was noticed and he wasn't disappointed. When Fred and George spotted him they let out a huge cheer and the whole table followed suit the instant they caught sight of Harry. At the moment it didn't matter that he had been entered unwillingly, at that matter that he was a Gryffindor champion and after the second task he was leading by nearly 15 points.

Harry ducked his head, trying to prevent people from noticing the blush that was rapidly spreading across his face and hurried to the Gryffindor table, trying to ignore the applause and cheers. By Merlin, you would think he had won the bloody thing! Spotting Ron and Hermione he slipped into place beside them, his face flaming. Now he wasn't directly in most people's line of sight the cheering faded quickly as people returned to their previous activities, a process which was only speeded up as Sirius strode down the Hall towards the High Table.

The majority of the school loved the DADA professor, not only was he a good teacher who knew his subject, he was fair, he didn't set huge numbers of long essays, his lessons were interesting and he was always willing to give you a little extra help if you needed it. However it was well known that although he didn't shown favouritism in lessons, he was extremely protective of his godson and he didn't stand for anyone who played fan to the Boy-Who-Lived. Several of the Slytherine's and a few from the other houses had laughed about this, thinking that 'Prince Potter' would hate the fact that he couldn't bask in his fame anymore but they had been taken by surprise when they found that Harry seemed to prefer the new state of affairs.

Once everyone's attention had moved elsewhere Harry relaxed, helping himself to breakfast in the relative anonymity of his friend's company. They didn't pester him with questions, instead Hermione talked about the lessons they had that day and what he had managed to miss. Harry made a face when he realised that his enforced bed rest – while it had caught him up on his homework to that point – had left him with a whole day's work to catch up on.

By silent agreement the second task was not mentioned, and aside from the initial enquiries about whether he was alright, it was not until lessons were over and they were back in the Gryffindor Common Room working on a tricky essay for McGonagall that the subject was broached. "What happened mate?" Ron asked a little awkwardly, "I mean we all saw you collapse when you got out of the water and Madam Pomfrey seemed to be in a panic, and then visitors weren't allowed in the Wing and when we went to see you yesterday you were gone and all she said was that Sirius was looking after you."

Harry sighed and put aside his quill. He didn't intend to answer everyone's questions but Ron and Hermione were his friends and he could see the worry in their eyes, no matter how much they tried to hide it. "I got bitten quite badly by some water creature and there was venom in the bites. It took a long time to remove that and then to treat them, and to top it all I was exhausted. I spent the day on forced bed rest." His grimace was completely genuine and he received scowls of sympathy from both Hermione and Ron, they too had both been in the Wing enough times to dislike the medi-witch's insistence that bed rest would cure anything.

Harry glanced around the common room and seeing it nearly empty he lowered his voice to a whisper, "Dad agreed that we could do some animagus training for an hour on Saturdays."

"Won't that disrupt your preparation for the third task?" Hermione whispered back worriedly, but Harry shook his head.

"We don't have any information about it yet and Dad thinks that I should try to get any advantage I can and that involves the transformation. He'll also be teaching me a few other skills and spells so that once we know what it is we will be as prepared as possible."

Hermione nodded in understanding, "In that case I'd love to Harry, I've been reading everything I can but it will be brilliant to have a real teacher." Ron made a noise that could have passed for agreement, but Harry could see the excitement in his eyes, even if his best mate wasn't thrilled with his form the idea of being able to master the transformation held a lot of appeal.

There was a short pause then Hermione spoke again, "Would it be possible to join some of your sessions? Sirius is a brilliant teacher and some of the things you've used, especially with the dragon were amazing."

Harry sighed, he should have expected the question, the time turner last year had more than shown Hermione's love for knowledge but the main sessions would be focussed on learning to use the ambient magic and she wouldn't be able to join in. "Sorry Hermione," he said a little awkwardly, "But that isn't possible. Some of the stuff we are doing is only able to be done by a Black, and the other sessions, well," he fidgeted a little, unsure of how to continue.

Sirius meant more to him than anyone else and he treasured the sessions as they were times he could be with his father and just enjoy being with him without worrying about anyone else. He might be selfish but a fairly large part of him didn't want to share Sirius. He was his father and although he knew it was irrational he was still worried that someone would take him from him and that Sirius would stop loving him.

Some of his fears and thoughts must have shown on his face because Hermione nodded instantly, "That's fine Harry, it would probably be better if I just tried to master the transformation, everything I've read suggests it is an extremely difficult piece of magic." Harry just nodded his thanks, unable to articulate what he felt before ruefully turning back to his essay and picking up his quill; he still had to cover the twelve laws of inanimate to animate transfiguration.

* * *

And that's the next update folks! I know it's a week late but I did explain about the A-Levels - now I've got until March to worry about how I've done :( !

Anyway thank you for all the reviews and support and I hope you enjoyed this!


	32. Organisation

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 31 - Organisation**

Sirius Black sucked in a deep breath before knocking on Minerva's office door. He had written and sent off a letter to the editor of the Daily Prophet a few hours ago informing him that as the majority owner of the Daily Prophet he would require them to do several things, firstly any article about Harry had to be sent to him for approval before it could be published and any articles written by on Remus Lupin were to be published in the paper in a place which he specified, and lastly they were not to mention this to anyone and were to continue business as usual except in regard to these new regulations.

That would take care of the publicity stage, most of the wizards and witches trusted the Prophet implicitly and anything published there they were likely to believe and agree with. Therefore he had the perfect platform to start his subtle campaign to try to persuade people that Dumbledore needed to retire and his first key article would appear in a week's time, on Dumbledore's 174th birthday.

But now he had another job to do, and one that was liable to be just as hard as the one he had handed to Remus, namely begin to get the Hogwarts staff onto his side without either tipping Dumbledore off or alienating them.

"Come in," Minerva called, her voice marked by her distinctive Scottish burr. Sirius squared his shoulders before pushing the door open. The Deputy Head glanced up in confusion, "What is it Sirius?" She asked before an exasperated expression crossed her face, "Tell me the Weasley Twins haven't been acting up in your classes too?" Sirius chuckled as he took the vacant seat,

"What have they done now? But to answer your question they haven't been that bad, a bit mystified why the schemes they try to pull are backfiring on them, but there's nothing like a challenge to keep ones skills sharp." Minerva groaned at the last sentence but she answered the question anyway,

"They let off fireworks in history and, I don't know how they got the nerve to do this, but they smeared every teacher's chair – including Serverus's – with a potion that causes you to speak in pig latin for an hour." Sirius raised his eyebrows, impressed.

"I had wondered what the substance on my chair was, and why both of them refused to speak that class – I'm in the habit of transferring any pranks they set up to trap me to them, provided it is something that is transferable of course." McGonagall looked at him incredulously for a moment before bursting out in laughter.

"It's good to see somebody can get those rascals back with their own pranks," she said eventually, "Although that is not something I can condone. But if you aren't here to complain about them what do you need?"

Sirius sighed, she had never been one for beating around the bush and it was just going to make the coming conversation harder, "I'm concerned about Dumbledore actually," he said slowly, "Dumbledore and his interest in Harry." He saw her eyes widen and as quick as a flash her wand was up and casting what he recognised as Auror grade privacy spells.

"What do you mean?" She demanded the instant the room was secured. Sirius didn't answer straight away, instead he pulled his thoughts together before he started to speak.

"Dumbledore seems to have some sort of interest in Harry and quite frankly its worrying. We both know that he was responsible for placing him with the Dursleys and I presume he was Harry's magical guardian and was making the decisions surrounding him, but now that I have taken the role he doesn't seem to be letting go, rather if anything he is becoming more controlling."

Minerva looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, "I can understand where you are coming from, he always seemed to have an interest in Harry, asking for reports and similar but I never thought anything of it before,"

Sirius nodded, "I don't think I realised quite far he was willing to go until recently, I mean I knew that he had been keeping Harry's heritage from him..." He trailed off at her furious expression.

"He told me when I enquired that he had personally sat Harry down and explained his positions and heritage when he was eleven!"

Sirius shook his head emphatically, "He did nothing of the sort, when we went to Gringotts in the summer Harry didn't even know he had more vaults than his trust vault, or that the Potter's had a Lordship!"

"What is that man playing at?" She exclaimed heatedly, "Not only did he lie to us he was purposefully keeping Harry in the dark!" She pulled herself together, "I am sorry I have failed both Harry and you again Sirius, I never dreamt that Albus might stoop so low."

"That isn't all he's done," Sirius added, his voice full of anger, "He left Harry at the Dursleys when he suspected, if not outright knew that Harry was being neglected and abused!"

Her faced paled so rapidly that you would have been forgiven for thinking that she was a ghost. "He knew?" she managed to croak out. Sirius's nod was all the answer she needed. Abruptly as she had lost it, her colour returned in the form of angry red slashes across her cheeks as she pulled herself up. "That utter bastard," she hissed. "He persuaded me to leave the boy there with promises that he was safe and loved, and assured me again when Harry came to Hogwarts but all this time he's being lying." She shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe the man I respected so much and thought I knew, could do such a thing."

"He was supposed to be the infallible leader," Sirius agreed, "Leader of the Light but all the time he's been manipulating the situation." He sighed, "But honestly Minerva I feel that he never stopped being a war leader. He's still trying to run a war and plan, and unfortunately not only does that mean he's neglected the school, but he's placed Harry at the heart of his plans and that is something I will not allow."

"I don't blame you," she said crisply, "I presume that because you are speaking to me you are intending to go up against him?" The words were measured, displaying no hint of her real emotions but her eyes glinted so fiercely that he knew she was in his corner.

He inclined his head, "You assume correctly. His plans are threatening Harry and that is something I will not him let him do." His eyes shone with black fire and nobody could doubt the sincerity of his words.

"He's got too much power Minerva and his priority isn't in any of them. He's either got the lead the war, be Headmaster, be Chief Warlock or Britain's representative on the ICW, he can't be all four, each job shouldn't be held by one man, not to mention he is getting older and if he is killed - which if he ends up going against Voldemort is a likely possibility – everything would be thrown into disarray. It can't go on and although I'm removing him for Harry's sake it will benefit Britain as a whole."

McGonagall nodded thoughtfully, "And the reason you are telling me this is because?"

"He's a danger to Harry," Sirius said bluntly, "And I will not stand by while he hurts my son further, he has done far too much damage already." He pulled in a deep breath, unsure how she would take his next words, "And I intend to remove him from his positions of power, completely legally of course, so that he can no longer hurt anyone with his plans and manipulations."

He saw that she was nodding thoughtfully at his words and that gave him the courage to continue, "But I know removing him will leave Hogwarts vulnerable to those power grabbing fools at the Ministry and I am not willing for that to happen. They have no business meddling in Hogwarts and I want it to remain that way." He paused and Minerva continued for him,

"And you want me to ensure that Hogwarts can settle the issue of Headmaster quickly without giving the Ministry any chance of getting their claws in, and to ensure that we are prepared so everything runs as smoothly as possible."

Sirius nodded immediately, "Hogwarts must be strong, and you are the best person to ensure that because not only do you know the other professors well, you are also the Deputy Head so you are the expert on how the school is run. I would not presume to think I have anything near the level of knowledge required to do so."

"I should think not Black!" she exclaimed but she nodded sharply, "I will be happy to help you. The safety of the students is my first priority and as much as I hate thinking about what my old friend has become and what must be done, I know it is necessary." Her expression turned pensive, "I can't help but wonder what changed from the Albus I used to know, or whether he had pulled the wool over our eyes even then." She sighed, and Sirius stood a little awkwardly, not knowing what to say to the older woman.

"Thank you," he told her finally. She smiled at little wanly at him,

"You don't need to thank me Sirius, as I said the student's wellbeing is the first and last priority for any teacher, and" her voice dropped until he had to strain to hear it, "I need to ask for your forgiveness once more, it seems I have failed with regards to Harry once again." There was silence for a few moments then her eyes flashed fire, "But I will not stand around whilst students could be in danger, and will not allow myself to fail again!"

Sirius couldn't do more than incline his head. "I know you will Minerva."

They spoke about more inconsequential things for a few minutes, their opinions on the different students, the problems that had been encountering with certain students, the arrangement for the exams, and the fact she needed a copy of the papers he intended to set and if he was going to do a practical portion what were the plans for that, etc. But it wasn't more than fifteen minutes later that Sirius took his leave, with a request to speak again sometime in the next couple of weeks and greatly relieved he had the older woman securely in his corner.

* * *

The three teens waited a touch impatiently in Sirius's quarters. He had promised the he would restart their lessons that day once classes were finished and they were all eager to get started. During the summer they had all started to make progress, and they had all managed to cover their bodies in fur, Harry also managing to transform one of his hands into a paw, although Hermione wasn't far behind. The practices had fallen by the wayside once they had returned to Hogwarts, mainly because of the tournament debacle although Hermione had continued her research into her animal as the books told her she ought to do.

After just five minutes, although it seemed a lot longer to the teens, Sirius stepped through the portrait hole and grinned as he spotted the three faces staring at him eagerly. "Hello you rascals," he greeted at them, smiling down at his son to lessen the verbal blow. Looking at the excitement in their faces he decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up, "Is there any reason that you have decided to invade my quarters today?" He asked.

Three faces looked at him completely scandalised but Harry glanced at him inquisitively before suddenly realising he was teasing. "Dad!" His voice was full of indignation and Sirius couldn't help but chuckle as he reached out to ruffle his son's hair. Harry ducked but he couldn't escape and his face burned red as Sirius succeeded in making his hair stand up even more than it normally did. As Harry made a noise of protest Sirius smiled down at him, still in a slightly teasing mood, "Now what kind of Dad would I be if I didn't embarrass you in front of your friends?" He asked lightly and he was rewarded with a smile from Harry albeit one that contained fading hints of his annoyance, even as he heard Ron snort.

Dropping the teasing he moved to face the teens, "I know you are all excited but the rules from the summer still stand – you can do as much research as you want but you are not to try out any part of the transformation unless I'm present understood?" He waited until they had all nodded before continuing, "I know I told you this before, but there are so many ways that this can go wrong I am amazed we managed it without hurting ourselves badly and I am not going to put any of you at risk." His eyes couldn't help but stray to Harry and he knew his son had heard the message he was not willing to say in front of the other teens.

Once he saw the understanding and recognition dawn in all three sets of eyes he smiled at them, "Let's see what you remember, I want you to cover your skin in fur, and Harry see if you transform your hand. Once you've managed that we'll start working on some new stuff."

Harry exchanged an excited grin with his best friends. He had understood the underlying warning in Sirius's words but at the moment he was content to forget that and enjoy trying to learn more about the animagus transformation. It was difficult to call the fur to his skin and even harder to change his hand into a paw, it had been several months since he had last tried the transformation and during that period the magic had become rusty and it had taken a little longer than usual to pull the wolf into his mind and force the change. However no more than a few minutes later his body was covered in fur and in the place of his hand was a large paw, complete with dangerous claws.

Beside him he could see Hermione was also covered in the mottled fur of the Scottish Wildcat and Ron was virtually covered, with the fur reaching his knees and moving slowly downwards, his face contorted into an expression of pure concentration he had only ever seen on his friend's face when playing chess. Harry felt his father's eyes on him and he turned slightly, catching the proud smile Sirius sent him. In the next instant Ron finally managed to cover himself with black fur and Sirius turned back to the lesson.

"Good work all of you," he praised them, "A little rusty but that's only to be expected. Now then; Harry I want you to work on transforming the other hand, now you've done one the other should be easier, Hermione I need you to start working on your first hand – I expect that to take a little longer than Harry will, you've yet to try at that aspect of the transformation, and finally Ron," he turned to the other boy who was looking a little downcast,

"I know you're struggling a little but believe me you aren't far off changing your hands. You need to work on transforming your skin in one go before you can move on, but once you get that far I believe things will get easier, a chimp's anatomy isn't too different from a human's which will make everything that much easier." He won a rueful smile out of the boy as Ron started to practice.

"It might be easier but I'll bet it'll still be bloody hard work!" He exclaimed before trying to focus once again, ignoring Harry's quiet sniggers and Hermione' exasperated,

"Ronald!"

Sirius chuckled along with the teens for a few moments before a raised eyebrow sent them hurrying to practice. For the next hour the room was near silent with only Sirius's quiet conversations with whichever teen was struggling breaking the quiet. When the hour was up it was three tired teens that clambered up groaning from the floor as they stretched muscles that had gone to sleep during the time they had spent sitting absolutely still on the floor.

"I'd forgotten how tired that makes me," Hermione commented a little ruefully and her words were met with a chorus of agreement from the other two. Sirius smiled at them, then he reached for a bar of chocolate he had bought knowing exactly what the lesson would do to them and with a loud snap broke it into three pieces before handing them out. "That should give you enough energy to last until supper," he told them.

A chorus of thank you's met his ears and he smiled indulgently as he watched them scoff down the pieces, his eyes lingering on his son. He felt fierce pride well up inside as he thought of what his son was doing. Harry was mastering the transformation quickly, it had taken both him and James nearly a year to get the stage Harry was at now and they had practiced more. He was aware that it helped them having an instructor they could go to, but it didn't stop the pride he felt for his son. What he had done to be blessed with a child as special as Harry he didn't know. He felt like he was the luckiest man alive, that he could look at the teens and say that Harry was his son.

That feeling was only intensified when Harry looked up at him, his eyes sparkling with happiness even as they conveyed his thanks for the lesson and allowing his friends to join in. A smile spread across Sirius's face and he reached out, ruffling Harry's hair, pleased when the child didn't pull away even though he knew it was ordinary for teenagers to start pulling away at this age. Call him selfish but he had been without Harry for so long that now that he was here, and he was his, he was loath to let him go, particularly with the threat of Dumbledore hanging over his head, and thinking of the threat:

The first phase of the plan was set in motion. Remus was earning every knut nearly twenty times over, he had already unearthed a great deal of information and his first article was due to hit the papers tomorrow. Minerva was doing admirably with her colleagues, not only had she provided them with useful information she had been quietly talking with the other professors and looking over the school. Already she had identified several things that she wanted to change and improve, subjects to reduce in importance, some to remove entirely, others to bring back and other plans for a reserve Quiddich team. Minerva was just as fanatical as the rest of them when it came to the sport and she had long been of the opinion that six matches a year was far too few.

No the plan was working nicely and if all went well Harry would be safe by next September, and as Sirius watched the teens laughing and joking from their positions on the sofa's, and noting in particular the way his son's eyes shone, he knew he would do anything to protect him.

* * *

The article that dominated the front pages of the Prophet that morning took many people, including the Headmaster completely off guard, for once not written by Rita Skeeter the article was soon being passed around as less than fugitive looks were being directed at the High Table and Dumbledore in particular. Sirius, curious as to precisely what his friend had written snagged a paper from one of the owls before he scanned the article, working hard to keep his face neutral.

_**174 Years in Our Service Unrewarded?**_

_Dumbledore has been the pillar of our society for over a hundred years. He has proved his dedication to the British Wizarding World multiple times, with not only his famous defeat of Gimmwauld but the outstanding work he has done as the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, the British Representative of the ICW and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. There can be no debate on the time and effort he has put into our society but we must now ask ourselves what have we ever done to show him the appreciation he deserves?_

_Dumbledore is today celebrating his 174__th__ birthday, a date which marks over 130 years of service but today we are forced to announce that this service has gone shockingly unrewarded._

_Instead of allowing him the rest from his endeavours, at the age of 174, an age many witches and wizards would be thrilled to reach, we still expect him to do the jobs of three men and to continue to protect and guide our society. We do not give him the reprieve he deserves instead we, an ungrateful society allow ourselves to continue to foist responsibility onto his back, giving him tasks to manage that should be the responsibility of several men not just one._

_It is to his utter credit that Dumbledore has not complained, instead he has continued to serve, committed to his duty unless we release him from it but we at the Prophet say no more! It is time to give the hero of our society the recognition he deserves, and give him the rest and break from his duties that he has earned. We call for you, the witches and wizards of Great Britain to allow our hero to step down and enjoy the remaining years of his life, unburdened by the responsibilities which we, the ungrateful society have thrust upon him._

_We have failed him but we still have the opportunity to right this wrong. What better birthday present could we give our hero than the opportunity to enjoy the rest of his life?_

Remus had not signed it, Sirius knew his name would instantly tip Albus off, but his old friend had done a remarkable job. He had never once criticised Dumbledore, the man held too much sway among the people, instead he had used the position Dumbledore occupied in society and exploited that to twist it and make everyone think that they owed him to allow him to retire and step down, and he sown the seeds to make people think they would need to make him step down, as he was too tied to his 'duties' to abandon them.

He knew then that he had been utterly correct in giving this task to Moony, and he made a silent note to give the old wolf a bonus, without him noticing of course, for a job that was brilliantly done. From the snippets of conversation he was picking up from the tables closest to him he could see that the article was being taken seriously and many seemed to be echoing the opinion that Remus had carefully presented.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Dumbledore had just started to read the article and he saw both the shock and a sudden flash of unease cross his face. He fought the urge to smile, instead he concentrated on his breakfast and quickly struck up a conversation with Filius about the former's experience on the duelling circuit and whether he would be able to come and join him at the duelling master class he intended give the students in a few weeks.

It worked, not only was he treated to a fascinating conversation, and obtained his colleagues agreement to join him that weekend – and maybe even show the students a formal duel, when Albus looked over in his direction he was occupied and there was no sign on his face that he had had any input in the article whatsoever, although he wouldn't have been surprised if this put the man even further on his guard. But, he thought with satisfaction, there was nothing he could do to stop the Prophet publishing, and there were too many in both the Ministry and Wizengamot who wanted him to lose power that would seize on this opportunity to depose him without upsetting the public.

Almost abruptly Dumbledore stood, and strode out of the hall, every eye following him. Although his expression was composed, even serene it was easy enough to guess that the man was seething under the surface, he was too clever not to recognise this for what is was, namely an effort to depose him. As soon as he was gone the room exploded into chatter and unobtrusively Minerva caught his eye and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Sirius inclined his head slightly in response and he saw her eyes widen slightly as the full impact of what he was planning hit her. Sirius turned back to his breakfast with the full expectation that she would request a meeting in the near future, but he knew that his plans were not going to change. He would give it a few days to obtain a response then the next set of articles would go out.

* * *

Sirius smiled down at the eager face of his son. It was their first control lesson and Harry had been looking forward to this all week, and Sirius had to confess he had too. Although the lessons were overshadowed by the long reach of the tournament there was still something immensely special about the control lessons for the Black family. Taking place from father to son, mother to daughter as they had for centuries they represented something remarkable to the family and even though he had fiercely rebelled against his family, his control lessons had been the only time he had ever felt included and valued.

In those lessons everything it was to be a Black came through, the pride, the fierce protectiveness towards their own, their duty towards magic, shared history. His father and mother, heck most of his family had twisted it, forced things to be about blood purity but in those lessons Sirius had seen some of what it truly meant to be a Black and he knew that was what he was going to pass onto his son. If he was honest with himself, he knew it was only the control lessons and the glimpses of what his family could be that had kept him at home as long as he had.

Forcefully he pushed away his memories. He had known that these sessions would dredge up memories but he would be damned if he would let the memories of what he had endured in his parent's house spoil these sessions for Harry. He sat down, gesturing for Harry to join him on the sofa. They would practice with the magic but there were several things that Harry needed to know first before it would be safe for him even to attempt to wield the magic.

Harry slid quickly into the indicated seat, his eyes fixed on his father as he waited for Sirius to speak. Sirius smiled at him and looped an arm around the boy's shoulder as he started to speak. "The first thing you need to understand pup is unlike other gifts, our ability to control ambient magic is tied directly to our magic and minds. That ability – the ambient magic itself is part of us and it will always be part of us." He saw that Harry was watching him avidly and he continued,

"But the magic itself is more than that. While the Black Family have the ability to use the old magics, which I'll teach you about when you take the Headship of the Potter family, unlike the other old families we do not have our own representative in the old magic, instead we have the ambient magic." At his son's slightly quizzical expression he continued,

"The representatives in the old magic do exactly what they say – represent their families, they contain their strengths and their histories, personifying what has strengthened their families. For the Blacks that is contained in the ambient magic." He saw Harry's eyes widen with understanding.

"You'll understand properly when you experience it, but when you wield the magic outside of rage and anger you can feel that, feel the history and despite what my parents thought there is nothing on blood purity but rather the protectiveness, sense of family, duty and pride. Contained within the memory of the magic is the history of the Blacks, now your history too."

He paused for a moment, memories of his own childhood flashing through his mind, and the hate he had felt for his family and their dark history, but also the pride he had felt when first wielding the magic when he realised just what his family could have been, and what they still could be. And he added silently, what he was now going to make the house of Black to be.

A touch on his arm pulled him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see the concerned face of his son staring down at him. "It's alright Harry," he murmured, "I just got a little lost in my memories, that's all." A ghost of a smile touched his lips, but he could see that his son still didn't look that convinced. Reaching out he pulled the boy into a loose embrace, pleased when the child hugged him back. "I'm alright pup," he whispered, "You don't need to worry about me." Harry looked at him steadily for a moment, as if evaluating him before he nodded and the last of Sirius's black thoughts flew away in the face of his son's obvious concern and affection.

Smiling down at Harry he clambered to his feet and gestured Harry to follow. "I'll wake the magic inside you first, calling it myself so you know how it feels and it gets used to being channelled through you. Then we can work on calling the magic yourself and subsequent control over it." He saw Harry nod his understanding then he stepped forward, placing his hand squarely over his child's heart and calling to the magic inside both him and his son.

It was difficult, if the ambient magic was anything it was emotion based and was always easiest to manipulate when your emotions were high. Trying to call it like this, when the magic had never been called before and when neither of them were feeling intense strain or emotion was the hardest thing he had done with the magic since his own control lessons.

The magic fought his grasp, writhing and twisting away in an effort to escape his grasp but eventually his own magic got a grip and pulled. The surge of magic that flew out of Harry was enough to throw him across the room. Expecting the resistance of the magic having to find a pathway through his son's body he had pulled harder, knowing it would need more strength to extract it but contrary to his expectations the magic had flown out of his child, streaming out of pre-forged pathways.

Groaning slightly from where he had hit the floor, Sirius clambered to his feet, thankful he had had the foresight to cast cushioning charms on the floor before they began. The ease with which the magic had come pouring out of his son both concerned and shocked him. "Have you been aware of calling the magic before?" He asked as a thought occurred to him.

Instantly Harry shook his head, "I've never been aware of calling the magic until you did it just now."

Sirius frowned in puzzlement, "But there were obvious pathways for it to travel through your body," his brow furrowed as he considered the problem for a few moments before it smoothed out. "Have there been any times recently where you lost control of your emotions enough that you could have called the magic without meaning to?"

Even as he asked the question Sirius was inwardly berating himself. Control lessons started for the Blacks just after they were accepted into Hogwarts, when they could knowingly control their magic and it was less chaotic than it was in the early years. Harry, who's magic had been settling for several years would have already had that control, it would have been all too easy for Harry's emotions to get the better of him and for the magic to act up. He should have started control lessons immediately after the adoption, because if the magic had already been called it would be that much harder to teach Harry control now.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw his son shift a little uncomfortably, "The second task," Harry answered, his voice barely a whisper, "When I thought I'd never get you back, I got upset and angry..." he paused and instantly Sirius was at his side, fingers threading through the child's hair soothingly even as he griped Harry's shoulder lightly. The gesture comforted them both and he saw Harry relax, letting the words he was about to say float away, even as the pieces fell together in his mind. That would have been exactly the situation he would have expected for the ambient magic to act up, although he was annoyed it had to happen in front of others.

Harry looked up suddenly, "Is that bad?" He questioned, faint worry lines creasing his forehead. Sirius pulled in a breath,

"It makes things a bit more difficult," he answered honestly, "The magic has found a path through you that it likes which will make it that much harder to control, however it would have been harder with your age anyway and I am confident that you'll be able to master it." He smiled at the child, "Just expect things to go pear shaped more than once." With a grin he remembered some of the things he'd managed to do with the ambient magic, "I even managed to turn everything in the drawing room – including my father – red and gold once and I still have no idea how I managed that."

That comment won a chuckle out of Harry, just as Sirius had intended but at the same time he knew that his son had received the warning about the ambient magic. Unexpected things happening was not only likely it was practically guaranteed and he would prefer it if neither he or Harry were caught completely off guard, although of course you never really expected what magic was capable of throwing at you.

"Alright then pup, can you remember what pulling the magic felt like?" A Harry's nod he continued, "I need you to focus on that feeling and try to replicate the pulling yourself. I'll do it with you this time, to try and guide you but you need to be able to call it yourself. Ready?" Harry nodded, eyes serious as they regarded his father. Sirius smiled gently at him before once more placing his hand over Harry's heart and sending his magic forth, this time only gently coaxing instead of commanding.

Harry furrowed his forehead in concentration as he battled with the ambient magic, although it fed off the magic surrounding them that was present in everything the ability to control it was rooted in his own magic, and it was the ability to control the magic within him to direct the ambient magic within him that was difficult. Emotions could flow down the self same pathways, indeed that was the reason ambient magic responded so well to emotion but forcing the same effect with his own magic was difficult to say the least.

He grappled with it. He could feel Sirius's magic guiding his but it was still a struggle. His magic didn't want to go down those pathways; it was almost as if there was a blockage somewhere, something stopping it from flowing. He pushed more force into it, willing the magic to do his will when suddenly the barrier broke sending magic streaming out of him. Instantly the ambient magic responded, flaring up and streaking outwards. Harry fought for control but he had misjudged it, he had called too much. With an almighty wrench the magic pulled away from him, the shock throwing him backwards as he saw stars.

Deprived of magic and emotion the ambient magic melted back into the surroundings and Harry felt his own magic return, even as he blinked desperately, trying to clear his vision. Soon the spots in his eyes cleared, and groaning he pulled himself off the floor. He now knew why his father had spent several minutes casting cushioning charms over the room, because although the breath had been knocked from his body, Harry knew that he had escaped injury.

One hand fumbled for his glasses and he pulled them back on, scanning the room for his father. Worry bubbled up in his gut as he saw the animagus was lying spread-eagled on the floor by the doorframe. He hurried across the room but he was only halfway there when he saw the crimson liquid spreading slowly out from where Sirius's head had landed.

He couldn't help it. He turned away and threw up. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen injuries before, or been injured himself but this was different. His father had been injured because of him. Sirius had done so so much for him and he'd repaid that love and care by hurting him. Pushing back the bile that rose once again in his throat, his shaking legs carried him the last few meters across the room to his father's side.

Trembling he sank to his knees next to his father's prone form, and he felt the stickiness of clotting blood on his fingers as the pool of scarlet grew slowly larger. He felt disgusted with himself, how could he have done this, what sort of person hurt their father? Shaking fingers reached out, grabbing the nearest piece of cloth as he tried to find and stem the bleeding.

Sirius's blood covered his hands as he pressed the cloth to his father's head. Each drop that slipped over numb fingers made him feel worse. He kept pressing the cloth against the cut but it couldn't stem the blood that continued to flow steadily out and over increasingly trembling and crimson fingers. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know any healing spells and anyway his wand was on the other side of the room.

He could feel the panic and disgust rising in him as tears streaked down his cheeks. Panic as the blood continued to flow with no sign of stopping, his fear that his father was seriously hurt and disgust at himself for doing this to his father. He cleared his throat, "Help," he croaked out, it was barely more than a whisper and he knew that nobody would hear him but there was nothing else he could think of doing, "Help," he called again, unable to prevent his voice from quivering.

A sudden pop of a house elf's apparation startled him and he spun round to see the figure of Dobby. He didn't bother to wonder what the elf was doing in Sirius's quarters, he was just thankful that the elf was, "Dobby, get Madam Pomfrey, hurry please." He was begging and something must have shown the little elf just how serious the situation was as he popped away without a word, reappearing only seconds later with the medi-witch.

"Mr Potter what is..." Her indignation died away as her eyes took in the scene and she immediately took charge. "Step back Mr Potter and let me get a good look at him, Dobby fetch me a pain reliever, a blood replenisher and a concussion potion please."

Harry back away numbly as she bustled around his father, her wand up and casting as she cast the standard diagnosis charms, vanishing the blood and sick almost as an afterthought. A spell later the gash on Sirius's head sealed and Harry let out the breath he had been holding although his tears didn't cease or even slow.

Madam Pomfrey carefully levitated Sirius onto a sofa, placing the potions next to him. "He'll be fine Mr Potter, it wasn't as bad as it looked," she reassured him briskly, "He had a cut to the back of his head and he was knocked unconscious from the impact with the floor, and he probably has a concussion. It's nothing those potions can't fix, now would you be so kind as to tell me what on earth you were doing here?" Although the words were framed as a question there was no mistaking them for the order they were.

Harry swallowed, looking down at the floor. He didn't know what to say, his father had indicated he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the ambient magic, and that the control lessons were special to the Black family but he knew that Madam Pomfrey was nothing if not persistent. "We were practicing some magic," he said eventually, keeping his gaze locked on the floor, "A spell went awry and it threw him across the room."

It was very near to the truth he thought defensively as the witch regarded him sceptically, all he had neglected to mention was the magic that they had actually been performing but it seemed that Madam Pomfrey was not to be deterred, "And what magic was that Mr Potter?" she asked a little waspishly.

"Family magic," A voice broke into the discussion and Harry whipped round to see his father lying on the sofa, propping himself up on one elbow. Although he was grimacing in pain Harry could see that his eyes were clear and alert, "And I can't tell you more than that Poppy," his eyes dropped to the potions on the coffee table, "Now please say there is a pain potion among this lot here that I presume I need to drink."

The medi-witch pursed her lips in an expression reminiscent of McGonagall as she nodded. It was evident that she was not pleased with the answer but she also knew enough about family magic to know that she would not get further answers out of Sirius. The expression of disapproval reduced though as Sirius reached out and swallowed the potions in quick succession. "Do cast cushioning charms next time," she suggested, a hint of terseness in her voice, "And no more family magic today if it can be avoided if at all possible."

"Don't worry," Sirius said in his driest tone, "I won't be attempting that again until I am sure every inch of this room has been covered in charms." The witch smiled at the comment before she strode out of the room, heading back to the hospital.

Harry looked down, relief and fear warring inside him. Relief that his father was alright, that he hadn't hurt him badly but at the same time the fear of what was going to happen now. He had seen Sirius's disappointment before and he knew he never wanted to see it again but at the same time he knew that he was going to be punished, he simply couldn't conceive of anything else happening. He had hurt his father and he knew if he had been at the Dursleys the beating he would have received for hurting one of them would have put the one that broke his back to shame. But to his mind the fault here was worse, if he had hurt the Dursleys it wouldn't have mattered as much because they had deserved it, but his father had done nothing to deserve what had happened, and even though he hadn't meant it that didn't change the fact of what had happened.

"Harry," the sound of his father's soft voice broke him out of his thoughts and he glanced up, only to immediately look down at the floor not wanting to see the disappointment and hurt he was sure he'd see on his father's face. "Harry, come here," He could hear the order in the words and slowly Harry started to move towards the sofa, keeping his gaze trained in the floor. Harry reached the sofa and stood by it, still refusing to meet his father's eyes, afraid of what he'd see there.

There was a sigh then his father spoke once more, his voice incredibly gentle "Pup look at me." It was the sound of his nickname that made Harry look up. Surely his father wouldn't have called him that if he was angry with him or hated him. To his surprise he saw that Sirius was sitting up, his grey eyes clear and steady as they regarded him. Seeing that his son was finally meeting his gaze Sirius smiled, although he could also see the fear there and he knew it was not purely caused by the accident.

"Come here pup," he said tenderly, holding his arms open. Instantly Sirius found his arms full of his son as Harry all but threw himself at him. Sirius tightened his grip on his child and he could feel Harry shaking, from relief or fear he couldn't tell. "Dad I'm sorry," the teen whispered and Sirius pressed a kiss onto his head.

"It's alright pup, you don't need to be sorry. It was an accident and I'm not surprised that the magic got out of your control; that was why there were cushioning charms – I just didn't do them well enough it seems." Harry chuckled weakly at that remark although the sound was a little forced. He felt his father's fingers cup his chin and draw his face up until he was looking Sirius straight in the eyes, "I'm alright Harry," he said completely seriously, "It was an accident, these things happen and do not think for one minute that I am angry with you."

Seeing nothing but sincerity and truth in his father's eyes and reassured by the gentle embrace he was being held in, Harry nodded in understanding. Grey eyes searched his for a long moment before Sirius finally released him. "Good," his father said eventually, "Well we'll work on control a little later when we've both had a chance to calm down a bit, so why don't you show me how you're getting on with your animagus form?"

Grateful for the change in subject and the opportunity to do something Harry slid out of Sirius's lap and onto the floor and threw his attention into the transformation, forcing himself to think of nothing but the transformation, of the wolf and the magic involved. Nearly an hour later he pulled himself up after managing to turn both his hands and his feet into paws. Sirius had sat watching him, occasionally offering pointers and advice and during that period all the residual tension from the accident had slowly but steadily drained away.

"Well done pup," Sirius told him, a proud smile written large across his features. "You are really picking this up quickly," he glanced over at the time before continuing, "We'll have the next control lesson tomorrow, don't worry, it should go more smoothly next time, the first few are always the most temperamental." He smiled at Harry and Harry smiled back a little warily. His father surveyed him with a critical eye, "Not to mention you are worn out. Go and eat pup and I want you in bed by nine at the latest but I suspect you'll be falling asleep long before then." Harry couldn't bring himself to argue. He could feel the fatigue in both his body and his magic, a combination of the control lesson and the animagus practice.

As fast as he could manage Harry headed for the Great Hall, arriving just in time for supper. He fended of the questions from his friends with the simple, "The magic was quite advanced, it took a lot out of me." With Ron and Hermione both used to the animagus transformations the excuse was accepted easily and the meal passed quickly although Harry soon found his father's prediction to be uncannily accurate.

He was dead on his feet as the meal ended and he struggled up the staircases, deciding at the last minute he'd rather stay in his room tonight instead of the dorms. Nobody commented, far too used to Harry spending nights away from the dorms particularly at the weekend. He stumbled through the portrait and caught a glimpse of his father's knowing expression as Sirius gently but firmly sent him to bed, coming in a few minutes later to tuck him in.

Most would have said he was too old to be tucked in but Harry didn't mind the affection his father showered him with. He'd never admit it to any of his friends, they'd never understand but he couldn't help but want and enjoy everything Sirius did that showed him how much his father loved him, even if it was something that was normally only done with smaller children. "Goodnight pup," Sirius murmured, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"'Night Dad" Harry mumbled and he heard the ghost of a chuckle above him as he slipped almost instantly into sleep.

* * *

Hi everyone - hoped you enjoyed this and please review!


	33. A Conspiracy Growing

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 32 – A Conspiracy Growing**

Sirius had greatly enjoyed reading the letters column in the Daily Prophet ever since Remus's original article had been published. Even though it had only been published a scant week ago already it had summoned up a veritable storm, witches and wizards from all walks of life and all parts of society had been writing in and expressing their views on the topic and overall it had been a resounding success.

Sirius had counted fourteen letters of support in the paper written by such diverse characters as Lucius Malfoy – a man Sirius was already watching very closely as he had no illusions that the man would attempt to get his hooks into both Hogwarts and further into the Ministry once Dumbledore was removed and that was something he would not stand for – and Madam Malkin. The response was certainly more than he could have wished for and he realised he had been given a golden opportunity, not only could he remove Dumbledore from his positions of power, but also if he played his cards right he could get rid of some of the 'ex-death eaters' and bigots that infested their society.

Today's article would prove to be interesting. Sirius had no idea what Remus had managed to dredge up about Dumbledore, or even the efforts to 'honour' him by removing him from his posts so he was eager as everyone else – with the exception of Dumbledore – to see what his old friend had written this time. Forcing his face into a neutral cast he ate his breakfast as calmly as he could, whilst inside he was wound as tightly as a ball of wool.

The first Daily Prophet owls swooped down into the hall and Sirius heard the waves of mutterings that sprang up almost instantly as people caught sight of the headline. It was only the years spent pranking and not getting caught for more than half the pranks and the blighted pureblood training he'd been forced to endure as a child which allowed him to keep his anticipation off his face as his paper too was delivered.

He almost choked when he read the headline, he hadn't expected anything to happen quite so fast. In large bold letters across the page the paper proclaimed,

_**A New Chief Warlock!**_

_After a week of public pleading for our esteemed government to finally recognise Albus Dumbledore for the great services he has rendered our nation the Wizengamot has acted. As many of you will know, Albus Dumbledore has presided over the Wizengamot in the role of Chief Warlock since his greatest victory over the Dark Lord Grimmwauld fifty years ago and in this office he has performed great services for our country._

_It was thought that he would continue in his selfless sacrifice which he terms as his duty until he died but the Wizengamot have finally realised that the hero to the Wizarding World deserves more dignity and comfort as he grows older, then presiding over the politics of nation which is divided in viewpoints. In a rare show of unity they have announced that they will relieve Dumbledore of the burden of this duty at the end of the summer session, giving our hero the first bit of recognition he so richly deserves._

_We at the Prophet applaud this move, but we are left to question is it enough? We have given him one respite, but that does not account for even a fraction of the debt that we owe him. But there is only so much we here at the Prophet can do and we must now turn it over to you and our Ministry to do the right thing and to finally give Dumbledore the respite and recognition he deserves._

The article continued talking about the upcoming elections and the potential candidates for the post, with Remus subtly favouring Augusta Longbottom, Amelia Bones and Griselda Marchebanks for the post. They were all choices that Sirius would be happy to see in the post, all with a reputation for fairness and they wouldn't stand for any of the sort of nonsense the pureblood faction would attempt to pull. With that thought in mind he knew he needed to write another letter to Malfoy, there was no way he was going to let any of that faction take power, even as he made a mental note to turn up for the summer session, he could use the Black vote and the Potter proxy as he was now Harry's father to try and ensure they got somebody sensible in the post.

His musings were interrupted as Minerva caught his attention, "Can I have a word with you in my office this evening Sirius?"

"Of course Minerva," he answered politely. He guessed that she was putting the pieces together about the articles but a quick glance at Dumbledore's face revealed that he had not connected the articles to Sirius yet. His expression was contemplative as he scanned the article again and again, and Sirius was sure that the man had suspicions but there was no way to connect him to the articles yet and he knew while the man would be expecting him to do something, he would not have expected this sort of subtle approach. If there was anything Sirius had been known for in his school days it was his hot-headedness and his inability to be patient.

That had been changed by Azkaban. He would be the first to admit that he still had a nasty temper and several ministry personal had discovered that to their cost but the years he had spent in that hell hole had taught him how to be subtle and patient. He learnt what acting before thinking could cost him, and by extension Harry. But with that thought he wondered if he shouldn't do something else, something completely unrelated but the sort of thing that Dumbledore would be expecting him to do as a distraction. The more he thought about it the more he liked the idea. Do something showy or flashy that would occupy a lot of Dumbledore's attention and blind him to the real scheme that Sirius was trying to pull.

It would have to be planned very carefully he cautioned himself. It would need to seem brash and impetuous but at the same time it needed to be planned so that it didn't cause him trouble when it fell apart as it almost certainly would. He was not going to make the same mistakes again and he would be damned if he ever let anything happen to his son.

* * *

Dumbledore paced his office thoughtfully. It had been nearly two weeks since Sirius had demanded an unbreakable vow and he had been waiting for Sirius to act ever since then. He knew, and Sirius knew that the vow would not stop him from having contact with Harry and he had already found a loophole that he could exploit. It was contained in the wording of the vow, the statement that he couldn't have any contact with Harry outside of normal headmaster duties but that was where he was able to manipulate it. The Headmaster could oversee or take any detention which was allocated to a student and he had already decided that whenever Harry received a detention, which given his record in Serverus's classes was like to be soon, he would oversee that detention, enabling him to train the boy.

But still, although he had begun to work out how he could keep that flank covered, how he could work around the vow it still didn't remove his unease. Sirius would not leave the situation there, the fierce love he had seen in the man's eyes had told him that much, had told him that Sirius would go to any lengths he deemed necessary to protect his son. His son, the words felt bitter in Dumbledore's mouth, and while he could not begrudge the child somebody who loved him, love was the most important magic after all, every time he saw the boy, every time he saw the changes the adoption had wrought he was reminded of how much he had failed.

Where had all his plans gone wrong? What had prevented them from coming to fruition? Certainly everything had started out so well, Harry had come to Hogwarts and make friends with a muggleborn and a wizard who's family were firmly rooted in the light thus ensuring the boy was unlikely to turn to the dark and would be firmly in his camp when it was time for him to face his destiny. And at the end of his first year Harry had passed through the test he had set up with flying colours. He had shown bravery and courage and a desire to face and beat the wizard who had destroyed his parents. Second year too had been exemplar and Albus had been pleased with how Harry was learning and developing as a wizard.

It had been the boy's third year when things had started to go wrong. Not the start of the third year but definitely by the end and the past summer. Sirius had come into the picture and suddenly Harry had been taken beyond his reach. He hadn't noticed at first, and he had even supported Sirius, although he would never tell the man that, when he had been made aware of just how extensive the abuse was and the fact that Harry would not have survived if not for Sirius's intervention But after that point the situation had just slipped further and further away until it was almost completely out of his reach.

He sighed to himself, before turning his thoughts to the recent spate of articles. He would be alert when Sirius finally made his move, but even as he started to contemplate the articles and the possible motivations behind them he had forgotten one key fact. Although Sirius Black had been sorted into Gryffindor he had been raised a Slytherin and no matter how hard one tried to avoid their upbringing it would never vanish completely. Sirius Black was a Black and if there was anything the Blacks were known for it was their cunning.

Shaking off his musings about the situation with Harry Dumbledore focussed his thoughts on the articles. He was well aware that he had many enemies both political and ones that he had fought against and this was not the first effort he had seen that was aimed at removing him, or at least he thought that was the purpose of the articles. He could not discount the possibility that unlikely as it was, that the articles were written by some well meaning wizard who just wanted to see him honoured. It was an unlikely scenario but he had to admit that the articles did not show any of the signs he would have expected from the pureblood agenda.

He was well aware that there would be many there who wanted to see his removal, and he knew that regardless of whether it was theirs in origin there were many, Malfoy for instance who would be happy to use any excuse to remove him, particularly one which had the public behind, which he thought morosely this one certainly did. He shook those thoughts away; he needed to be thinking about the best way to counter this, to ensure that this attempt also failed. But he knew it would be difficult, especially as the author of those damned articles had managed to convince people that he would object and they were to continue despite any objections.

Mulling it over in his mind he came to the logical conclusion. He couldn't oppose it directly, that flank had been countered pre-emptively but he should be able to use his support base in the Wizengamot to challenge these changes by proxy. Yes, he nodded decisively, he'd send a missive round to his supporters, urging them to fight against the bills and changes, perhaps present them as a scheme pioneered by the pureblood movement to take control of the Wizengamot. Yes that ought to work.

It was with a lighter mind he turned his attention to the infernal paperwork that came with running a school. He gave as much as he could to Minerva but there were sections only the Headmaster could complete. But even as his attention turned elsewhere Dumbledore didn't realise that the school was slipping slowly and steadily out of his grip.

* * *

Sirius was a little wary as he approached Minerva's office. He was deeply grateful to the older woman of course, she was proving an invaluable ally in the school and it made the whole situation much easier now he had someone who had known Dumbledore well and was a strong candidate for taking over the school once he was removed but he was aware that he had not told her everything, the less people knew about some of his schemes the safer both Harry and he would be, and he was not looking forward to the coming conversation.

Consequently his knock on her office door was slightly sharper than he had intended but there was no trace that the witch had noticed as she called out, "Come in." Sirius entered the office and his eyebrows rose as he noticed the other person in the room, "Minerva, Filius," he greeted them, his mind racing. He had not been expecting to bring the head of Ravenclaw into his plans this soon, he had thought that the man was more closely connected to Dumbledore but he trusted Minerva's judgement. Still it had completely changed his perspective of what this meeting would contain.

However he managed to keep his churning thoughts from showing on his face as he sat and politely declined the offer of tea as he waited for either Minerva or Filius to get to the point of the meeting. He did not have to wait long before Minerva spoke.

"There are several things I need to discuss with you Sirius," she pinned him with a hard stare, "And while both myself and Filius, who you can inform of all the particulars in a moment, fully support you in your desire to protect Harry, we have both started to notice that you do not appear to have told us everything."

Sirius conceded the point with a nod. "It is true I did not inform you of everything Minerva, it is just that I have found that when dealing with Dumbledore the fewer people that know what is happening the less chance of your plans going to pieces," He hurried on quickly as she made move to speak, "It is not that I do not trust either or you Minerva, it is just that my experiences have taught me that the Headmaster is skilled in legilimency and all it takes is for a single person to slip up and the plan is useless."

The Head of Gryffindor nodded, "I can accept that reasoning Sirius, however I do not believe it would harm anything if we had a more comprehensive overview of the situation." She phrased it as an order not a question and Sirius knew that if he wanted to have their continuing support, something he needed in order to ensure that his plan would work, he would have to give them more details than he was completely comfortable with, "Do you both practice occulmency?" He asked as a thought came to him and he was relieved to see them both nod. It made it easier to share the information now he knew it was relatively safe.

"What have you noticed?" He asked a little bluntly, he knew Minerva had been aware of the scheme he was trying to pull and hence had the tools to put the pieces together, but Filius had obviously worked something out and if he knew what had tipped the man off it would be easier to work out what would be the best way to disguise his future schemes. Therefore he was pleased when the Ravenclaw head started to speak.

"There have been several attempts to remove Dumbledore previously but when that article appeared a week ago when no groundwork had been seen in the Wizengamot or in the Ministry that was the first clue that someone was attempting to remove Dumbledore and they had to come from outside the Ministry itself. It is rather obvious that you have had several disagreements with the Headmaster, particularly in regard to Harry and you are not the sort of person to sit idle on a perceived threat," the man explained, "From there, a quick word to Minerva solidified my suspicions. I have to say I agree with you actions. While Albus is a powerful wizard he is spread too thin and I get the impression he tries to fight his war with Voldemort at the expense of the school and students which is something I will not stand for."

Sirius inclined his head at the Charm Master's words, "You are correct in what I attempt to do, my actions are in response to what he had done in regards to Harry which I am sure Minerva has indicated to you but I am assuming you would rather know what I have planned rather than discovering it belatedly when things happen and if they go wrong." The look his old head of house sent him was answer enough and he leaned back in his chair as he marshalled his thoughts.

"You could say what I am attempting is a bloodless coup which does not involve the pureblood faction taking power. I am attempting to use the support and reverence that the majority of witches and wizards hold for him, as well as the influence of those who want to see him removed to force him to lose the positions of power he has over the Wizengamot and the Ministry. The articles that you saw in the Daily Prophet are the beginning of this, and it is from there that I hope to incite a large voice calling for his retirement."

He saw them both nod as he continued, "My aim is to get trustworthy and fair people into the vacuums left behind, I will use the Potter and Black proxies as well as the influence I have over Lucius to try to get someone such as Amelia Bones in the position of Chief Warlock. I know that the light families will vote for the candidate that is not part of the pureblood movement and the neutrals are likely to vote for somebody they perceive will preserve their interests which makes the election of a neutral candidate at least the most viable possibility." He paused, regarding them steadily,

"However I think that what I intend when it comes to Hogwarts is your more pressing question correct?" He saw the worry and concern in their eyes and he knew he was right, and as a colliery to that certainty, he also knew that what he said now would go a long way towards determining how they now regarded him, and the support he was going to receive from them.

He sucked in a deep breath, knowing how critical these next few minutes would be. "As for Hogwarts I would like to see Dumbledore removed from his position as Headmaster, and I want his successor primed and the whole school ready to easily adapt to the new order so there is no way the Ministry could get its hooks into the school, and to minimise any attempt at involvement from the pureblood agenda. It was the area I was hoping you could guide me on," he admitted frankly, "You both have far more experience with the school than I do, and you would both do far better in the Headmaster position than I."

"You have no intention of seeking the position yourself then?" Filius asked and Sirius let loose one of his bark-like laughs.

"Oh sweet Merlin no! I know I am not suitable Headmaster material and there is no way I would want to deal with all the paperwork – what I currently have now is enough to last me a lifetime." He heard the rueful chuckles from his colleagues as he continued, "But in all seriousness, the reason I am doing this is to ensure Harry is safe, and my priority is and will always be Harry. I would not take a position that would mean that I would have to forgo that."

He saw the relief in their faces and he realised suddenly how worried they had been about that possibility once they had started to realised precisely what he intended. "As for how I intend to remove him from Hogwarts, I know that will be the hardest battle, but a combination of the campaign I am running in the Prophet, and the Tournament I should be able to sort things out." His expression darkened, "I will start running a few articles about the problems that there have been in the tournament and I will set in motion a scheme to remove Dumbledore, which will be more of a diversion than anything else but it might have some side benefits."

He paused and looked at them both, a grave expression on his face. "You know more about the school than I do and I was hoping that between you, you would be able to have everything in place so that the instant Dumbledore is removed or forced to step down the school can instantly and with virtually no hassle switch to the new Headmaster or Headmistress before anyone else can even think of interfering."

McGonagall and Flitwick exchanged a long look before turning back to Sirius, it was Minerva who spoke, "I think we can come up with a workable plan Sirius, I presume you need something in place by the end of the Tournament?"

Sirius nodded instantly, "If possible, and it is a weight off my mind knowing that I can leave the school firmly in your hands." Minerva nodded decisively,

"I'm sure Filius and myself are capable of making the arrangements." Her sharp expression softened slightly, "Take care of that boy Sirius, I believe we have all failed him more than once and I do not want to see that happen again."

"It won't," he said simply, "I would die before I hurt Harry." The stern professor smiled as she heard the truth ring through the statement. They chatted for a little longer, talking about classes and other day to day matters before Sirius stood and took his leave, relieved that the conversation had gone the way he wanted it to. He knew it was unlikely that everything would go to plan of course, well it was almost certain that it wouldn't but now he knew one flank was secure he knew that Harry was just a little safer than he had been yesterday.

* * *

Harry shifted nervously from foot to foot. It was time for his second control lesson and after what had happened when he had originally tried to control the magic he was not eager to repeat the experience. However his father had explained to him that he needed to know how to control it, as the ambient magic, particularly in areas such as Hogwarts and Hogsmede was so powerful that it could cause awful damage, to both himself and to anyone in the vicinity if it ever got outside his control. He certainly had no desire to hurt anyone and that was why he wasn't kicking up any sort of fuss about the lessons although he approached them with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

"Ready pup?" Sirius asked quietly and Harry just jerked his head in a rough approximation of a nod. He saw his father sigh, even as he reached out and placed his hand over his heart. "Don't be frightened," his father instructed softly, "The whole room is covered in cushioning charms and I have made sure that there is no way that a similar accident could occur. I need you to trust me and follow my instructions and the lesson will be fine."

The words reassured Harry somewhat but they didn't completely remove his anxiety. The incident during the previous lesson had hammered it home to him just what the power was capable of doing, and he was aware that as possible accidents went what had happened was fairly minor and that thought scared him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his father, to hurt the man who had done everything for him, rescued him for an awful situation, taken him in, cared for him, loved him and then taken him in as his own. But he knew just how much power he had at his disposal and he was not willing to let it loose again, he was not willing to take the chance something would go wrong.

At Sirius's gentle pull he felt the magic rise in him once more, the same magic that had thrown his father across the room and suddenly his emotions, the years of being unloved took over. This had been what had hurt his father and he was not going to let it happen again. He was not going to do anything to hurt him. Instinctively he tried to pull it back, tried to stop it from leaking out, to erect some form of barrier. He felt his father's tug become more insistent and he struggled more, he was not going to let that destructive force be unleashed, he was not going to take the chance that he might hurt someone, and especially Sirius.

Within Harry the two forces fought. Sirius's magic attempted to guide his, to pull it along the pathways and release it inside him whilst Harry fought with his whole might to pull it back but Sirius was winning. Years of experience of manipulating the magic, combined with a greater control of his own power meant that he was slowly gaining ground as the magic was coaxed closer and closer to the surface. It had almost reached there when Harry yanked it back, pulling the magic from his father's control.

With a sudden snap it returned to his control but it had been too near the surface and as his magic surged back into his body it pulled with it a tidal wave of the ambient magic. It was too much, he couldn't hold it in and with a scream he flung his arms out as the magic which had rushed into him poured out of him. Then just as fast as it had come it was over and Harry collapsed, gasping in pain and for breath, onto the cold floor.

In the next instant he found himself being picked up and a carried over to the sofa. Even in his slightly befuddled state he could feel the tenseness in his father's movement, a tenseness he was not familiar with. He was laid gently onto the sofa, and already his breathing was evening out although he could still feel the lingering ache where the magic had ripped through him. For several moments the silence stretched as gradually Harry felt his body begin to return to normal.

"What in the name of Merlin did you think you were doing?" Sirius's voice cut harshly into the sudden silence and biting back a groan Harry forced himself to look up. His father's face was white and Harry could see the fear in his eyes, fear that was rapidly giving way to anger. He couldn't help it, he flinched and almost immediately let out a hiss as the movement sent a flash of pain through him.

Sirius saw the flinch and tried to pull back on his anger but it was difficult. He had been beyond horrified when Harry had jerked the magic out of his grip and he had felt the ambient magic rush into his son before pouring back out. He knew just what the magic was capable of, he knew the history of the Black family and he was well aware that there had been many that had killed by it and that the first few times were the most dangerous. It could have killed Harry.

There was anger at himself, for failing to explain to his son precisely every sort of thing that could go wrong, but he'd warned him it was dangerous, warned him that things could go wrong and he'd thought that Harry would be old enough not to try and the accident had to have hammered home how dangerous it was. And he'd seen that Harry had wanted to learn to control it, if only to prevent another accident from happening but why oh why had his son jerked the magic back then, just when he was overcoming the resistance?

He saw the fear in his child's eyes and tried to push his anger below the surface, he never wanted his son to be frightened of him but it was difficult. "What were you thinking?" He demanded, the words coming out a little more sharply than he had intended, and he saw Harry flinch again. Reminding himself firmly that the only experience Harry had with anger was the beatings he received at his uncle's hands he continued, "I won't ever hurt you Harry but what you did was extremely dangerous so please answer the question. What in Merlin's name did you think you were doing?" He asked sternly.

Harry swallowed hard, he hated hearing the anger and fear in his father's voice when he knew he had been the one to put it there. Now the magic was no longer thrumming through his veins he didn't know why he had reacted so badly, why he had acted so badly when he knew it was dangerous. "I didn't think," he whispered almost inaudibly.

"That is obvious," Sirius said sternly, "What you did was extremely foolish and it could have seriously hurt you. You need to learn control but in order to do that I need to be certain that you will be sensible and not interfere with the magic."

Harry couldn't meet his father's eyes and he looked down shame heating his cheeks. He could hear the rebuke clearly in Sirius's voice and this time he knew it was caused by something he had deliberately done. "I'm sorry Dad," he said quietly, "I promise I won't interfere again."

"Good," his father replied, before his voice softened slightly. "It is extremely important that you learn this Harry, not only is it dangerous if it gets out of your control. I believe the two accidents we have had so far are proof of that and..." Sirius trailed off as a realisation struck him. He had noticed that when he had mentioned the accident his son had started a little and focussed very hard on the floor.

He sighed before sitting down on the sofa, causing Harry to glance up in surprise. "It's what happened last time isn't it?" he inquired softly, "The accident frightened you and when I went to draw the magic you reacted to it because you were scared about what would happen when it was released."

Harry refused to look up, scuffing at the floor with one foot. "I don't know why I reacted so badly Dad," he murmured, shame-faced, "I know I've got to learn control but when you started to draw the magic, I don't know, suddenly all I could think about was not hurting you again." Sirius reached out and drew the teen into a loose one armed hug, realisation rushing through him. Of course after everything Harry had gone through it was only natural that he was going to be frightened of hurting him and by extension losing him and the accident which had happened on the first lesson would have got it into Harry's mind that it was dangerous. He knew that teaching Harry to wield the magic had just become exponentially harder.

"I'm not angry Harry," he said quietly, and at Harry's disbelieving look he elaborated, "Well I am, I'm angry at the danger you put yourself in and a little disappointed that you felt you had to struggle against the magic rather than just telling me that you were uncomfortable, I'm presuming that the resistance I felt was you trying to hold it back," he took Harry's lack of a denial as an affirmative as he continued, "But I can understand why you did it. And because I understand that and know you had a good reason, I cannot be as angry as I would otherwise have been. It doesn't mean that what you did was right, you put yourself in danger and disobeyed me but it is more understandable."

Harry still didn't raise his gaze. From the fear and anger he had seen in his father's expression and the tone Sirius was speaking in he knew he was going to be punished and inwardly he knew Sirius was well within his right to do so. He had disobeyed him, he had ignored the fact Sirius had warned him about what the magic could do and he had put himself in danger. He trusted that Sirius wouldn't hurt him, his father had promised him that so many times but he couldn't help but be apprehensive about what was to come. Sirius had never punished him before and the fact he didn't know what to expect made things a lot harder.

He heard Sirius start to speak again and he immediately focussed his complete attention on his father; he didn't want to get into more trouble than he already was. "I've not discussed punishments with you before Harry," his father said, his voice serious, "And that is a conversation we will be having in detail this evening, but before I come to that I there is something I need to make completely clear. I will never raise my hand to you in anger, and I will never use physical punishments such as beatings, or starvation." Inwardly Harry let out a sigh of relief, he had never thought his father would harm him but it was reassuring all the same to know that he wouldn't.

There was a dark understanding in Sirius's eyes and Harry suddenly knew that his father was completely aware of his fear about being punished. "This was a first offense and you had a good reason for your actions so the punishment is minor, you will write me a foot on why what you did was dangerous and you are to consider yourself grounded to my quarters for the rest of the day."

Harry nodded his acceptance of the punishment quickly. True to his father's word, the punishment was minor, a foot was a short essay and he was being confined to Sirius's quarters for the rest of the day which meant he would have to stay there all afternoon and evening which was a pity because it was Saturday but it would mean he would get all his homework done and he would be able to have fun tomorrow.

"I am really sorry Dad," he said sincerely. Sirius smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair.

"You're forgiven pup." The sound of his nickname made Harry smile. If Sirius was using it that meant he had definitely forgiven him and it made him feel a lot better to know that he hadn't made his father mad enough to stay angry at him. "But I need you to promise me that no matter what happens in the lessons you will follow my instructions, and if what is happening is making you uncomfortable that you will tell me before you do anything so foolish again." Harry felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment but he managed to look his father in the eye as he replied, "I promise Dad."

Sirius's smile was genuine as he pulled Harry into a gentle embrace before releasing him and standing once more, indicating that Harry should also stand. A little confused Harry did so, and turned his curious gaze on his father. "We're continuing the lesson," Sirius told him crisply, "You need to learn control and I am fairly sure that this attempt should be relatively smooth."

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat as he nodded. Sirius smiled reassuringly before placing his hand over Harry's heart once more and gently he started to pull the magic forward. Harry felt the self-same panic rise up inside him but this time he controlled it. He was already in trouble and there was no way he intended to disappoint his father again. It took a while before the emotions fell back and it was only then he turned his attention to the magic welling up in his veins.

Unlike the previous times it rose a lot more slowly and there was no hint of the wildness that he had felt before. He allowed himself to relax slightly as his father's magic guided the magic inside him, pulling it gently to the surface. He gasped as the magic reached his skin and he could suddenly feel the ambient magic surround him. It pulsed gently against his skin, flaring out in short bursts. It was beautiful but at the same time it was also terrifying. He could feel the beauty of it but he was also aware that Sirius's power surrounded it completely and it was only the iron control that his father was exerting on it that was keeping it from lashing out.

His father released the magic, allowed the ambient magic to fade back into the surroundings. Harry let out the breath he hadn't realised he was holding and his head swam as he felt the effect of the magic left him. Sirius placed a hand on his shoulder, supporting him. "It is quite something when you first feel it isn't it?" His father said softly and Harry nodded in agreement, not knowing quite how to describe it, although one question was burning in his mind.

"Is it always that hard to control, I mean it's lovely but I could feel that you never lost your grip on it, not even once?" His father's expression turned grave,

"The issue with the ambient magic is power," he said quietly, "In any wizarding area there is so much power that it is hard to control. You've seen what happens if it gets out of your control, and that's why I keep it under control, I am not willing to risk hurting you in anyway. But that is also what makes it such a useful gift, no matter where you are, once you have the required control you can protect yourself if you are disarmed."

Harry nodded thoughtfully for several moments before he spoke again, "I can also see why people were so frightened of it," he all but whispered, "There's so much power there and if it was used for the darkness." He couldn't suppress a shudder at the thought.

"I know," his father replied softly, "And when you think that using the magic in such a way is addicting, it is no wonder that so many Blacks have been dark wizards or even Dark Lords."

"But there have also been ones which are nothing but light," Harry said fiercely, emerald eyes fixed on his father. Sirius couldn't speak around the lump in his throat, it was always so humbling to realise just how much his son cared for him and loved him. He didn't have any words but that didn't matter as he reached out and dragged his child into an embrace. He felt Harry hug him back and they stood there for a moment before he released him.

"We need to continue with the lesson pup. I'll call it again, but when I've done so I'll release a little and start you working on your control. Normally this would be done after you learnt to call it but for you I think control, rather than calling is the priority." Harry smiled a little wanly as Sirius called forth the magic again and he was all but trembling when his father relinquished some of the control over to him but contrary to his expectations, whilst the magic fought his grip he found that if he concentrated he was able to command it, to prevent it from lashing out.

A few minutes later Sirius released the magic. "Well done Harry," he told him proudly, "That was definite progress, now I suggest that you fetch your school books as you will be spending the rest of the day here and I am sure it would be a good time to get the work done." Harry nodded quickly and hurried off, his cheeks flaming with the reminder of the trouble he had got into earlier.

He knew he deserved it, and he had gotten off lightly after disobeying his father and putting himself in danger and there was part of him that was pleased that Sirius cared enough for him to punish him, and punish him kindly, nothing like the 'punishments' that had been dished out by his uncle. Be still there was also a large helping of embarrassment and he didn't really want any of his friends to know that he was being punished, that was something that was going to stay between him and his father for as long as he could keep it there.

To his great relief none of his close friends were in either the common room or the dorms, and he managed to grab his stuff and make it back to Sirius's quarters without anyone noticing or questioning him about anything. He climbed through the portrait hole and moved resignedly to the table, dragging up a chair as he dug through his bag for the appropriate books and started to battle his way through a particularly nasty essay Snape had set them.

The remainder of the day passed quietly with Harry not even leaving his father's quarters even for lunch as Sirius had asked the house elves to bring the meal up to his quarters. Thankfully none of his friends had yet come to find him, Hermione and Ron were very accustomed to him spending most of his Saturdays with Sirius and it might not even raise eyebrows if he didn't turn up in the dorms this evening either. He had no doubt that Sirius intended for him to remain the night here, but if he was honest with himself he didn't really mind and he wouldn't have minded at all if he wasn't confined there as a punishment.

It was after supper that the conversation he had been dreading came up. Sirius moved over to the sofa and indicated that he should join him. Harry sat down a little nervously, fidgeting a little and not looking his father in the eye. He heard the older wizard sigh, "I know this will be a little uncomfortable pup but the events this morning reminded me that we have yet to discuss matters such as punishment and I want everything to be clear and fair so that we are both on the same page when it comes to punishments and you know precisely what the consequences will be."

He waited for Harry's nod before continuing. "I believe there are three different types of things you could do wrong and therefore they have different levels of punishment. Firstly are what I'd term minor offences, doing something you hadn't realised was wrong probably for the first time, or you did something wrong but there were strong extenuating circumstances or reasons why you did so – for example you hexed someone who was cursing your friend, it would still be wrong to do but that would earn you a small punishment like today. A grounding for a day or two, an essay to write perhaps and maybe being suspended from you broom for a day or two, or perhaps some extra housework or at the very least a lecture." Harry nodded, that was certainly fair.

"Then there are medium offences, doing something you knew was wrong again, or doing something wrong that is fairly minor but without any extenuating circumstances that are reasonable, so for example deliberately disobeying me when you had already done so before, or breaking something because you were angry. Things like that will earn you a more serious punishment, a grounding for several days, depending on how severe the offence was and maybe certain privileges would be temporarily revoked, for example I might ban you from visiting Hogsmede that weekend." Harry nodded slowly, digesting what his father had been saying. He didn't kid himself that he would ever enjoy a punishment but he knew that his father was being very fair and he was not going overboard like his uncle had done but he was still a little tense – the last category would be the worst and that had been what he had been dreading.

"The last category is severe offenses. This would include repeat offending of a minor offence, deliberately harming others, putting yourself in danger deliberately when you had other options. In terms of punishment these will be the most variable as there is quite a lot of scope in this category but I would never hurt or humiliate you as a punishment, such a punishment is likely to include a grounding for several weeks, and during that time some sort of activity that is unpleasant but wouldn't harm you such as having to clean out the attic without magic or similar, and almost certainly several privileges during that time, and maybe for longer would be revoked."

Harry let out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding. He could understand his father not pinning particular lengths onto a punishment but it was the reassurance that he would never be hurt or humiliated that made him relax completely but there was still one key question he wanted answering, "Will punishments be discussed before you give them out?" he asked a little awkwardly but Sirius seemed to understand what he was really asking.

"I'll certainly listen to your side of the story before I decide on a punishment pup and you'll be able to discuss them with me if you feel that something is too harsh but there is a fairly good chance I won't agree."

Harry thought over it for a moment before he nodded, and for the first time since the conversation had started he leant against his father's side and he felt Sirius wrap him in a loose one armed embrace. "I'm sorry about this morning Dad," he murmured and he felt his father tug him a little closer.

"I know you are," he murmured in reply, "And you are completely forgiven." Harry smiled from his position curled up against his father. It gave him hope that no matter how stupid he might be in the future that things would be alright in the end and no matter what he did he would eventually be forgiven.

* * *

And here's the update - a day late I am well aware but I hope you still enjoyed it anyway. See you in two weeks (most probably the monday not the sunday) and thanks for all your support and please review!


	34. Prophecies

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 33 - Prophecies**

Minerva and Filius sat contemplatively for several moments after Sirius had left, both trying to assimilate the information he had given them and trying to come to grips with what it meant and what his last sentences had revealed to them. Eventually McGonagall spoke, breaking the silence. "I never thought I'd see the day when I'd sit here and voluntarily chose to be part of one of Sirius Black's schemes."

The Charms Professor chuckled lightly, "It certainly wasn't something I'd ever have expected when he graduated." They shared a smile as they remembered the havoc those three boys had managed to get up to, as irritating as it was at the time, neither of them could deny that the boys had been good students and the pranks and schemes they managed to pull were often based off extraordinary magic.

"He grew up though," Minerva commented quietly, "Azkaban and the war changed him. I didn't notice it at first but the longer you know him the more you realise he has changed although others haven't noticed it I don't think." She sighed quietly, "He hides it well but he's always guarded, and there's always something hidden away in his eyes and I'd wager that only Harry and Remus have seen him with those guards down."

Flitwick nodded, even as his eyes strayed to the closed door. "He's been hurt one time to many," he agreed, "To ever really trust many properly again," The silence lengthened before Flitwick spoke once more, "But regardless of why he proposed this and why we are both in it, shouldn't we perhaps be thinking of how we intend to have this school ready to change Headmaster the instant Dumbledore is removed?" He suggested. Minerva agreed instantly, shaking off her musings about her old student as she turned her full attention onto her colleague.

"The problem is getting round the interim Headmaster problem," she said, "Normal procedure was that the Deputy Head would take the mantle until the board comes to a decision makes an appointment but I think that is precisely the danger period we all want to avoid because it is in that period that it would be easy for the Ministry or for some of the ex-Death Eaters to buy their way into Hogwarts or to influence the process unduly which is something I think we all want to avoid." She sighed, "But the Governors have so much power I am not sure of the best way to undercut that authority."

Filius tapped his long fingers against the chair arm thoughtfully. "I think our best bet is to make sure we have a successor lined up and then to go and pour over the Hogwarts Charter. After all the Board of Governors is relatively modern, I think they were put in place 471 years ago now so the Charter should give us a good idea of the policies that were previously used to choose Headmasters and there might even be bylaws that can be used to ensure the Ministry do not get a say in the appointment."

McGonagall nodded, "That certainly seems a good idea, after all we do have several months to get ready, so perhaps you could deal with the research on that angle and I'll try to generate some more support from the other professors," her expression darkened briefly, "The last thing we need is a divided Hogwarts and when it comes to it, if the school is not ready we will fall."

There was a quiet certainty in her voice and both professors eyes darkened as they remembered the last days of the war. The school had become a battleground with lines drawn on house lines with hostilities frequently erupting. The school had begun to split and it was into this toxic mix that Voldemort had led a raid. It was not a full attack, Dumbledore had still been the Headmaster and he feared the old man but he had chosen a time when the Headmaster had not been in the grounds.

It had caught them by surprise and the school almost fell when the majority of the Slytherins had turned their wands on the rest of them. It had only been luck that had prevented his victory that night, and they had paid a high price for the defence. When the smoke had cleared they found the bodies of 27 muggleborn students who had been taken and killed by the death eaters, and another 14 had lost their lives in the defence.

That had been the last time the school had been divided and it had cost them so so much and neither of them were willing to let it go that far again. Of course the circumstances were different this time, they weren't in the middle of a war for one thing but neither professor had any illusions of what would happen if someone like Malfoy managed to get control of the school, or all those who thought that muggleborns were inferior and should not be taught. This was not a battle that would claim lived but both of them would be damned if they saw the school fall into the hands of the pureblood movement.

With a sigh Flitwick stood, "I'll go and check the charter then Minerva. A meeting in a few days perhaps would be a good idea, to discuss the options and any discoveries?" McGonagall nodded immediately as the small figure of the charms professor left the room before reluctantly turning her attention to the pile of essays she had to mark.

* * *

Harry trudged reluctantly down the stairs towards the dungeons. Snape had given him a detention that morning after Malfoy had come over and started taunting him, normally that wouldn't have been a problem but curses had been shot and one of them had hit Hermione, causing her teeth to grow at an accelerated rate. He'd lost his temper and fired a hex back, it hadn't hit anyone of course but Snape had seen and as usual Harry found himself with a detention whereas Malfoy got off scot free despite the fact his actions had put Hermione in the Hospital Wing.

He had given up on thinking that Snape would ever be fair a long time ago but still he had to admit that the injustice of it all rankled and even though the man had got a little better, for some odd reason was not being as much of a snarky git that he had been in earlier years, it didn't change the fact that he was immensely unfair and favoured the Slytherins something awful.

Reluctantly he pushed the classroom door open, wondering what sort of disgusting task the man had thought up for him this time. He wasn't so bothered when it came to cleaning cauldrons or something like that – he had cleaned more disgusting items back at the Dursleys - but he had to admit that he disliked disembowelling some of the creatures that he was forced to work with, particularly if he had to do the task without gloves on.

He got through the door and almost stopped in shock when he saw that instead of the much hated Potions Professor, there was the figure of Albus Dumbledore sitting serenely at the desk as if he belonged there. Instantly the warnings and promises he had made to his father flashed through his mind but he didn't know what to do. He'd promised Sirius that if he was told to go to Dumbledore's office he was to refuse until Sirius could be found but this was a detention, albeit an unfair one and he couldn't refuse to go, especially now he was here and neither could he refuse to do anything until his father could be found, not that he thought Dumbledore would let him leave the room and go and fetch his father anyway.

"Sir...?" He managed to stutter questioningly, even as he froze in place in the doorway, undecided to whether he should run now and take the extra detentions that action was give him.

"Come in Harry," Dumbledore said warmly, even as the door behind him was nudged shut with a tendril of magic. The man was almost radiating a kind grandfather personality and Harry knew that he might have fallen for it if it hadn't been for the fact that his father had told him precisely what Dumbledore had been planning for him and he knew with certainty that he would never trust the man for a long time, if indeed he ever did.

Even though the door had shut behind him, cutting off that escape route Harry still stayed close to the door, ready to run if it became necessary, he didn't think he'd manage it but at least if he was by the door he stood a chance of escaping whereas if he went deeper he knew that it would be much easier for Dumbledore to restrain him magically before he could even make it that far.

Dumbledore however didn't seem to notice Harry's wariness or if he did he ignored it, "I daresay you are surprised to see me here," he continued as if Harry wasn't sticking close to the door and regarding him as if he could curse him at any second "And I know you were supposed to be having a detention with Professor Snape, apparently you were supposed to be disembowelling horned toads." Harry couldn't help the grimace that flashed across his features and he heard the Headmaster chuckle, "But," he said as he flicked his wand and a barrel of horned toads suddenly became disembowelled, "My need of you was greater this evening."

Harry felt trapped, he had waited too long. He should have run the moment he saw Dumbledore here instead of Snape, obviously waiting for him but it was too late now. He was in the room, the door was shut, and probably being kept that way by magic. He gritted his teeth. There was nothing else he could do, he would endure the detention and he would go to his father the instant it finished and he would tell him everything.

"Sit down Harry," Dumbledore said kindly as he gestured to a chair in front of Snape's desk. Apprehensively Harry came forward, he perched on the edge of the chair and scouted it as far away from Dumbledore as possible, he wasn't going to make this easy and he was determined not to let Dumbledore get the better of him without a fight. With that thought in mind he kept his wand loosely in his palm, ready to be used in a moments notice.

Dumbledore surveyed the teen before him with a critical eye. The child seemed very jumpy tonight, almost as if he was afraid of him and internally he frowned, this did not bode well for his chances of trying to teach and mentor the teen, something that was essential if he was to guide the child down the correct path to defeating Tom. He wondered how much of his conversations with Black had been relayed to the child; it was the only explanation that made sense of the sudden change in behaviour. Harry had always been willing to trust him before and it was disturbing to see how that had changed.

He pondered about asking the boy before he discarded the idea, along with the idea of probing his mind using legilimency, Snape had reported that he had learnt Occlumency and he had no doubt that if he probed the child's mind the fact would be reported to Sirius very quickly and he didn't want the man's ire directed in his direction soon. Neither would it be practical to ask the child what Black had told him, firstly he doubted he'd get a truthful answer, and certainly not an answer that would give him any useful information, not to mention he didn't want this whole conversation to be relayed to Black which he knew it would be if he started probing too far.

Pushing those thought aside, he smiled at the boy in a grandfatherly way, he wished he had been able to wait for this conversation, wished he could wait until he started training the child but now he knew that the horcrux had been removed he knew that Harry would actually have to fight and beat Tom, and in order to do that he would have to be trained and trained well. But in order for the child to be able to defeat Tom first of all he needed to understand his history, to understand why and how Voldemort was the way he is, and he also needed, although it went against his inner wisdom, to know about the prophecy. Not the exact wording of course, but the general idea that there was a prophecy and that it foretold that Harry would be the only one with the ability to defeat Tom.

"Now I've no doubt you are wondering why I saw fit to commandeer your detention," he said kindly and he saw Harry nod jerkily, "My dear boy," he continued and he saw Harry stiffen. So Black had definately told him some of it, and judging from the reaction had told him about his plan, "You asked me in your first year why Voldemort or Tom Riddle had chosen to target you, and I refused to tell you, thinking you were too young to bear such a burden," He saw Harry's eyes widen and the teen sat up straighter.

Harry couldn't believe it, was Dumbledore finally going to explain why his parents had been murdered, he had wondered but after the refusal in his first year he had not asked again, thinking that the man would get angry if he brought it up, and the only good opportunity he had had to ask him again had been after he'd killed the basilisk and fought the memory, although now he thought about it, probably a horcrux of Voldemort but he had been too confused and too tired to voice the question then and he had not dared to ask later.

His attention snapped back to the man as Dumbledore continued to speak, "There was a prophecy made that said that you are the only one with the power to defeat Voldemort unfortunately one of his Deatheaters overheard the prophecy and relayed the information to him, and that is why he came after you in the first place, and it is why he still seeks to kill you."

Harry sat in shock, he didn't know what to say or think. All his life there had been a prophecy, there had been a reason that Voldemort had come after him and he had never thought to tell him! This information had led to the death of his parents and Dumbledore had known, known and not told him. Another thought struck him suddenly, Voldemort was after him but Dumbledore had never thought to train him, never thought to warn him or to make sure he had the skills to do it. He couldn't deny that he was afraid, that he was desperately afraid.

He wasn't sure if he'd be able to do this, heck he didn't have a clue how it would be possible for him to defeat the worst Dark Lord in history and if he failed he'd condemn millions to death or torture and not only that he'd fail his friends, his family, his father.

All of a sudden he was desperately angry, Dumbledore had known, known and hadn't thought to train him and because of his oversight the people he loved could get hurt or killed just because an old man had refused to share the information when he had asked for it, refused to prepare him. Another thought struck him then and it was all he could do to stop himself from being physically sick, Dumbledore had been planning for him to sacrifice himself and in doing so he had been willing to let Voldemort win, to let others lose parents, brothers, sisters, friends and to let his family and all those who had ever cared for him die.

Suddenly he became aware he was on his feet and that the ambient magic was flying round him and saturating the room. Desperately he tried to hold it back, to gain control but it was hard. The magic had become strong through his anger and it whipped through the air trying to wreak vengeance on the man who had upset and angered its master. Harry clenched his hands into fists and he bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood in his mouth. The magic fought him, it wanted to respond, to act with his anger and not to stay within his control and his father wasn't there, wasn't there to take some of the magic himself, wasn't there to help him control it but Harry knew he had to.

He didn't know how he knew but he knew that if the magic escaped his grasp Dumbledore would not walk from this room unscathed if he even survived. Just thinking of the man made the magic act up but grimly he held on, almost pulling it back by sheer strength of will alone. No matter the anger he felt at Dumbledore he was not a murderer and he would not be responsible for the man's death.

Slowly the magic responded, gradually quieting as he brought it under his control. Eventually the magic lay docile in his grasp although he didn't let his guard down for even one second until he had released all the magic harmlessly back into the surroundings and it was only then that he risked glancing at the figure of the Headmaster.

Dumbledore sat shaking from the force of the magic that had responded to the young teen sitting in front of him. He had felt the ambient magic before of course, and he had thought he knew what it felt like, even in its raw form which he had to say frightened him but what he had just felt was beyond that. On the day of the second task the magic had not been confined and it had not been drawn straight from such a potent source as Hogwarts.

But here, in an enclosed space with the magic been drawn straight from the heart of the castle he had had no chance. What spell, what shield could stop magic that was everywhere, in everything and as he had felt the magic grow he had feared for his life for perhaps the first time in nearly fifty years. He didn't think he had been more relieved when he had felt the power begin to fade when he realised that while Harry had nowhere near the control over the magic as Black did he still had enough control to prevent it from destroying. He was still shaking and he couldn't bring himself to say or do anything when the child grabbed his bag and fled from the dungeons.

Harry was nearly up by the Great Hall by the time he stopped running. Finding a small alcove he sank down in it, placing his head in his hands as he panted for breath, the headlong flight from the dungeons and the fight to control the magic had left him breathless but it was only now, as the adrenaline wore off that the full impact of everything that had happened there hit him.

The prophecy, nearly losing control of the ambient magic, almost killing or at least seriously wounding the headmaster. Fear bubbled up in his gut, strong and thick, he didn't know how he could cope, he didn't want it to be his responsibility, yes he wanted Voldemort to die and he wanted to be the one to kill him but still the thought that he had to, that somewhere, somehow it was his destiny to do so and he didn't have a choice hurt. Everything in his life had been planned out and everyone seemed to have something they wanted from him and he was sick of it, sick of it and scared. It may have been childish but he wanted to be normal, to have a year at Hogwarts where he didn't have to save the school, where he didn't have to be the saviour once again but he thought bitterly, he'd never had that choice. He had to be the one to defeat Voldemort and he didn't think he could do it.

Eventually he pulled himself back to his feet and he made his way through mercifully empty corridors to Sirius's quarters. He murmured the password and was relieved when it sprang open instantly. Sirius glanced up from the essays he was marking, he knew Harry had been given a detention with Snape so he hadn't expected him to come to his quarters this early, if he came back to his quarters at all. But one look at his son's white face and he was on his feet and hurrying to the teen's side before he had even registered he was moving.

"Harry?" he questioned urgently, even as his eyes were scanning the child's body for any sign of an injury or wound. Finding none he sighed in relief, even as he reached out to draw the child into an embrace, "What's happened pup?" He asked softly, relieved that whatever had happened had not caused any sort of injury, but rather from the looks of things had only given him a bad scare.

He could feel Harry relaxing slowly in his arms and he gently guided the teen over to the sofa, sinking down onto it with Harry still held securely in his arms as he tucked the boy into his side. Still the child said nothing and he repeated his question although this time there was a slight sternness in his voice that let Harry know that he wanted some answers soon.

Harry leant into the welcome embrace as some of his panic started to ebb away. It was easy to remember now that no matter what that damned prophecy said that his father would be here to support him and help him through everything. Unlike what he had thought in some of the moments of his nearly blind panic he was not alone but he realised that if his father was going to be in a position to help him, he would have to know everything that had happened in his detention.

He sucked in a deep breath, wondering where to start before he released he'd have to tell the whole story, starting from when he arrived in the dungeons for the start of his detention. "Professor Dumbledore was overseeing my detention," he started but he didn't get any further before he felt his father stiffen and he heard Sirius hiss,

"What?"

Harry hurried on quickly, worried now about his father's reaction, "I got to the dungeons and found Dumbledore there instead of Snape, I was going to come and get you but he'd already seen me and I couldn't refuse the detention, I'd just get more and Dumbledore would be able to oversee those too. I'm really sorry but I didn't think there was anything else I could do." He was babbling, and he realised this but he was nervous and he didn't know what to say. He'd never really been in this sort of situation before, he'd broken his promise to his father but he hadn't meant to and there really hadn't been any other option. He knew Sirius had discussed with him what punishments would be like and he trusted his father completely but it didn't change the facts that he'd disobeyed him and that he'd never been in this sort of situation before.

He felt his father's hand on his shoulder as Sirius squeezed it lightly and instantly the rush of words that was pouring out of him stopped. He glanced up at his father's face and he saw the anger there but Sirius's hand rubbed his back gently, reassuring him that the anger was not directed at him. "It wasn't your fault Harry," he said quietly although Harry could hear the rage which simmered beneath the surface "And while I'd have preferred to be there I agree that you didn't have any option but to attend."

He paused before he added in a venomous tone Harry had only heard him use once before, "I am through with giving chances to that meddling old fool, if he dares to come near you again, regardless of whether it's allowed by the vow it will be the last thing he does."

Harry felt alarm grow within him. "Please don't do anything rash Dad," he pleaded, he was all too aware of what had happened the last time Sirius's anger had got the best of him, it had cost his father twelve years in Azkaban and while he did not blame his father even for an instant, it was the fault of those who had refused to try him, the thought of losing his father filled him with dread.

He felt Sirius tug him closer, tucking him protectively against his side, "I won't do anything risky," he told him softly, "I've got far too much to lose and I'd never do anything that would endanger or hurt you pup. But I will take Dumbldore down and ensure he never comes near you again but I will do everything legally. You are my son and I won't stand by while he endangers you with his schemes." He vowed fiercely and Harry burrowed deeper into his father's side, warmed by the declaration.

But even as he soaked up the comfort he knew that he still needed to tell his father about what Dumbledore had told him during the detention. Sucking in a deep breath he related the tale of the prophecy and what it revealed, and even though his mind was fixed on his story he felt his father stiffen. And then his voice dropping until it was barely above a whisper he told Sirius about how he'd realised that the ambient magic was pouring out of him and how he'd struggled to control it before he fled. Once the story was out of him he slumped against his father but strangely enough he felt better for it, as if the panic had receded slightly leaving his head a little clearer.

He felt Sirius's arm tighten round his shoulders, "Firstly," his father said fiercely, "I am extremely proud that you managed to bring the ambient magic back under your control under those circumstances and when you have only had two lessons on controlling it. You did extremely well and I am immensely proud of you." Harry felt a blush head his cheeks, and he ducked his head but he couldn't deny that he was warmed and pleased by his father's words.

Seeing that had sunk in Sirius continued, "And as for the prophecy, and the fact that 'you are the only one who is able to defeat Voldemort'," he paused and Harry could clearly hear the sarcasm that was all but dripping from the animagus's voice, "That is a complete load of rubbish." There was a slight hesitation over the word rubbish and he couldn't shake the feeling that his father had deliberately censored what he intended to say, even as Harry mentally replaced the word with perhaps a more suitable expletive. "Diviniation is a woolly discipline at best and while there are prophecies that come true they are often more self fulfilling than not."

He heard his father sigh before he continued speaking, "I don't deny that there is a good chance you will be the one to kill him because no matter what I do to protect you, if Voldemort thinks you are the only one who can kill him, he'll come after you and that will just increase your chances of being able to kill him but I don't want you to give a damn about the prophecy. You may be the one to kill him but you will not face him alone and I will make damn sure that you are trained and more than capable to do so, so that if you face him you will have the tools to protect yourself and kill him." The fire in his father's eyes was unmistakable and Harry felt a weight of relief settle in his chest. He hadn't realised how much he had needed or wanted the reassurance until felt it flow through him, lifting the burden that had fallen on his when he had learnt about the prophecy.

"Thanks Dad," he murmured softly and in response he felt Sirius reach down and press a kiss onto his forehead. They stayed there for a few more moments before Sirius stood, pulling Harry up after him and propelling him with a gentle shove towards the table, "Get some of your homework done pup," he instructed quietly, "It's still nearly an hour to curfew and I'm guessing you will be staying here tonight?" Harry just nodded before reaching into his bag for his charms books even as he was vaguely aware of his father returning to the pile of essays he had to mark.

The rest of the hour passed in a companionable silence, with the only noise being the scratching of quills across parchment and the occasional query Harry would throw at his father which Sirius was all too happy to help with and by the time it came for Harry to go to bed he had been sufficiently distracted and reassured about the prophecy that Dumbledore had dropped on him a few hours previously.

* * *

Sirius watched his son head to bed, trying desperately to prevent his emotions leaking onto his face and only once he was sure that his son was asleep did he cast a one way silencing charm on the teen's bedroom door before letting the anger and fear that had filled him when he learned what Dumbledore had told his child burst out of him. Instantly the ambient magic sprang up, whipping around his body in a hurricane of magic. He directed it was practised ease, letting all his rage bleed into the magic and only when he was sure he was able to control his temper did he let the magic go.

Wearily he slumped down in his chair, his mind racing with everything he'd learnt. Firstly he'd learnt that Dumbledore had found a way around the vow, a way that involved the concession he had been forced to make concerning 'Headmaster duties' as he needed to be able to interact with Harry in his role as the Headmaster if the situation had called for it but those cases were few and far between. He had to admit that he had forgotten that a Headmaster if they had any particular concerns could choose to oversee a student's detention and after today it was obvious that Dumbledore intended to use that to get access to Harry.

A frown crossed his features, he was not intending to let him get away with that, but the problem came with ensuring that he didn't oversee Harry's detentions if he got another one. His brow furrowed as he considered it, before part of the solution came to him. He knew that the majority of Harry's detentions came from Snape and he could easily cut down the number of detentions by ordering the man to only give Harry detention if the detention would be viewed as fair by the rest of the staff. That step would ensure that the number of detentions Harry got would decrease substantially, and for the time being a quick word to Minerva and Filius should help to keep those classes and teachers relatively problem free, although there had never been any huge issues with either of their classes.

He let out the breath he'd been holding. It was all well and good to restrict Dumbledore's access to Harry but the news of a prophecy had him worried. It was not that he believed in divination, well that wasn't strictly accurate, he knew enough about magic to know that prophecies were valid and usually came true in one way or another, but that divination was such a woolly art that although the magic was real and tangible, the prophecies themselves were much more vague and that would be what posed the problem.

He couldn't make a decision or come to a firm conclusion until he'd heard the prophecy but he suspected that it wouldn't matter what it actually said, if both Voldemort and Dumbledore believed it to be valid the battlefield had almost been drawn before Harry had even stepped onto it. Voldemort would come after his child to try to defeat a threat, and because he viewed Harry as a danger he wouldn't stop until Harry was dead or until he was killed, and the way he pursued him only made it more likely that it would be Harry.

But it was not only the news of the threat to his son that would not go away until Voldemort was vanquished, the news that he needed to fight a battle on two fronts to keep him safe, the made the anger bubble fiercely in his gut. it was also the realisation that Dumbledore had known and he had done nothing to prepare his son. He was well aware that there had been no training, no lessons, nothing to teach his child how he could stand up against Voldemort, because even if Harry didn't have to kill him, he was in danger and the man had never thought that he might need extra defence lessons!

And then with a biting coldness the significance of Dumbledore's earlier admission flew through him. The man had known Harry was a horcrux and known about the prophecy. He had been setting Harry up, either to die at Voldemort's hand after nearly defeating him so the man could become mortal and be killed by another, or he had been setting Harry up to banish Voldemort to spirit form once the horcruxes had been collected and then to kill him, thus destroying the last horcrux to banish his spirit forever.

Sirius felt sick at the thought, and at the knowledge that Dumbledore sincerely believed that this was the best option, that it would have to happen to save the wizarding world and that if he had not come into Harry's life when he had, that his child would be following this path, would be being led to his death without anyone to stand up for him. He pulled in a deep breath, trying desperately to calm his raging emotions. As much as he wanted to, he could not go and kill or seriously maim Dumbledore for daring to plan to harm his child. He had promised Harry he was not going to act rashly again, and the twelve years in Azkaban had taught him the value of patience and shown him what his impatience and desire for revenge could cost him.

Intellectually he knew that now Dumbledore knew that Harry was no longer a horcrux he was not training him to sacrifice himself, but he was still manipulating the situation, making his child think it was his responsibility and his responsibility alone to kill Voldemort and in his mind that was still a great crime. Harry was only just beginning to trust adults again and Dumbledore was threatening that, not to mention he was trying to make a child do an adult's job. He had had nearly thirteen years to try and defeat Voldemort, to prepare for when he came back but he had sat aside and waited for his son to come and sort everything out for him.

It disgusted him. Harry may have seen and experienced more than any other child but he was still a child and it was not for the child to do the adult's job.

Reluctantly he stood and made his way to his room. He would speak again to Minerva and Filius to see if they could speed things up because he was beginning to understand how Dumbledore worked. The man became fixed on a plan and he firmly believed that it would be the only way to achieve his goal and he would then stop at nothing to accomplish that plan. And there would be no way to stop him until he was removed.

* * *

McGonagall was pacing, "You are sure of this?" she demanded for what must have been the tenth time and the Head of Ravenclaw nodded wearily,

"I'm completely sure Minerva," he answered, "Before the Board of Governers was created the Headmaster was selected by a vote of the remaining founder's heirs. The present Board of Governors was created when the lines appeared to die out and the only way that they can be overruled or a Headmaster can be elected without their consent is if that Headmaster is selected by the agreement of the remaining founder's heirs." The Head of Gryffindor heaved a sigh before turning to the diminutive professor.

"So to sum it up," she said irritably, "The only way we can ensure we get a decent Headmaster who has not been affected by the current politics and scheming of the school governors and the ministry is if we manage to get a founder's heir to appoint a Headmaster."

Flitwick inclined his head in agreement.

"And the only known lines died out five hundred years ago?"

Flitwick nodded once more.

"Damn."

The Charm's Master paused for a moment after that statement before speaking again, "Just because the last known heirs died out does not mean there aren't any," he said eventually. "Seeing as the lines were wiped out as the power and prestige was coveted and they were viewed as a threat, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that side branches or lesser known links just kept quiet and survived. In that political climate it would have been the sensible thing to do."

"But that doesn't help us now," McGonagall pointed out a tad waspishly, "I agree that it is definitely possible that there may still be heir somewhere but we have no means of finding them and that is assuming that the family involved even knows that they are the heirs and that knowledge has not been lost throughout the centuries! Not to mention even if by some miracle we manage to find a family, we probably need the direct heir and if the line of succession has become muddled as it almost certainly would have that would be difficult at best and impossible at worst to sort out!"

Flitwick sighed, "I know Minerva but it is the only loophole there is."

She regarded him for one long moment before she sank down into her chair, "I've asked Sirius to come over for a meeting, he needs to know at least that there isn't a way to remove Dumbledore without the Ministry getting involved," she held up a hand when the Head of Ravenclaw made to speak, "I know there's the loophole, but we'd need a bloody miracle to pull that one off." Flitwick grimaced but he couldn't deny that she was right.

With impeccable timing Sirius knocked on the door and entered, "You wanted to see me Minerva, Filius." The Head of Gryffindor nodded wearily,

"Yes Sirius, we've looked through the Charter but the only way of overruling the Governors is if the Headmaster is appointed by a founder's heir so we have no useful options that will get us a Headmaster without them or the Ministry becoming involved."

Sirius looked between the two Heads, "So you need a founder's heir, does it matter what age they are or only if they are the Heir?" The two professors exchanged a puzzled glance at this frankly odd angle of questioning before Flitwick spoke, "Age is only an impediment if the Heir in question is not old enough to attend Hogwarts, but why are you asking this?"

"I was making sure that one of the heirs is eligible to select a Headmaster." It took a moment for that to sink in but when it did Sirius was taken aback by their reactions.

"You know of an heir?" McGonagall all but demanded even as Flitwick dropped his quill in shock. Not quite understanding why they were reacting quite so strongly he nodded, "If you are being technical I actually know of two, Gryffindor and Slytherin and I know they will do anything to help get rid of Dumbledore, provided it is legal."

McGonagall couldn't help but stare. "You do realise Sirius that the last known lines died out nearly five hundred years ago." He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows as he absorbed that information but certain things began to make sense now, he had not known that the Potters had the Gryffindor Lordship – the fact they now had Slytherin too was a different matter, and the usual practice would have been to take the older and more prestigious surname or at least combine them but knowing this showed him why the Potter's had not announced their Lordship and on that vein,

"Can they appoint a Headmaster without revealing their identity?" He asked quietly and he saw the Head of Ravenclaw's eyes narrow as the man put the pieces together.

"It would be highly unusual," he replied, "But I believe there have been precedents where a Headmaster has been appointed but the identity of the Heir has remained confindential, usually when one of the heirs in question was a student at the time and they didn't want their identity being leaked to the student body." His sharp eyes surveyed Sirius for a few more moments before he spoke again, "It's Harry isn't it." Minerva turned to her colleague, an incredulous expression growing on her face but Flitwick kept his eyes fixed on Sirius, he wasn't the Head of Ravenclaw for nothing and he had quickly put together the man's hints.

Sirius merely inclined his head, "I believe that sorts out that issue," he remarked calmly, "As long as you give me warning, and enough time to make sure Harry does what he needs to in regards to paperwork etc, that ought to run smoothly." He flashed a grin in their direction, "Now I believe you only need to select who you want as Headmaster, or even Headmistress," he said with a nod in the direction of his old Head of House. The elder woman raised a single eyebrow at him, although you could tell her eyes were dancing, "And here I thought I'd seen you boys mature," she sighed but there was no malice in the words.

Sirius chuckled lightly before taking his leave, relieved that the practical aspects of appointing a Headmaster would be simple enough to accomplish. For a moment when he had entered the room he had worried that it would be impossible but his son had proved to be the vital link, and he would ensure that Harry remained safe in his school, and that even though he was an heir his child would not be targeted for it.

* * *

Harry couldn't help but stare at the Quiddich pitch in complete and utter shock. The Quiddich fanatic the dwelt inside virtually every wizard was screaming at the sight of the devastation wrought over the pitch and the sacrilege it represented. But the more logical and rational part of his brain was fixed on what he'd just been told, there was going to be a maze, and a race to the centre. It seemed almost too easy, too simple. Where were the challenges, where was the excitement and danger because one thing he had learnt since he had joined the wizarding world was that wizards liked entertainment, and entertainment that was often violent and dangerous.

He didn't try to delude himself that the tournament was anything but entertainment. All that stuff about eternal glory and the prize money was ridiculous, many of the older wizarding families would put a minimum of 1000 galleons in a child's yearly trust fund, and as for eternal glory, he knew that nobody could remember any of the previous winners. It made him angry, he was risking his life, well all four of them were and what was the purpose, entertainment. A phrase he'd heard in muggle school drifted back to him as Bagman finished going over the arrangements for the final task, "Hail Caesar, we who are about to die salute you." And that was what they were doing, oh it may have been dressed up in fancy words but that was the essence of it.

Bagman finished his briefing and Harry cast one more look at the snaking rows of hedges that were growing over the Quidditch pitch before pulling his cloak tighter around him to ward off the wind before heading back to the castle to practice some more spells, particularly ones that would be useful for subduing whatever dangerous beasts managed to find their way into the maze and to speak with his father to tell him about what he'd be facing.

* * *

There we are, an update and I hope you all enjoyed it.

Thanks to all who review, I may not respond to all of them but I treasure every single one, so please review.


	35. The Summer Term

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 34 – The Summer Term**

Harry's training had suddenly become a lot more focussed when he had discovered that he was supposed to be navigating a maze. Firstly Sirius had taught him several different locator and compass spells to ensure he would be able to navigate the maze, and assuming that it could not be so simple as just being a maze they had to travel through they had started to work on some basic ward and curse-breaking spells. It wasn't anything particularly difficult, Sirius only knew a few, and there weren't many books on the subject in the Hogwarts library, but as it was something that was only touched on in NEWT's he was reasonably confident that there would not be any major wards in the maze, and just being able to identify them and know a few spells to break them would be an enormous help/

The third main area they had been working on was dangerous magical creatures and how to contain and otherwise ensure you were able to pass them unharmed. Given the identity of the first task, combined with the Champion's lack of curse-breaking knowledge it stood to reason that they would be facing a variety of creatures and the more Harry knew about magical creatures the safer he would be. They had included Remus in these lessons as Sirius was well aware that while he knew a decent amount about Dark Creatures Remus was the expert and he knew spells that Sirius had never even heard of, much less seen performed.

Between the three of them, and Hermione's recommendations when it came to the library they thought they had come up with a workable strategy which combined both Harry's spell knowledge and techniques to use in the maze. They had already agreed that he would use the same combination of scent removing, silencing and disillusionment charms that he had used for the dragon, with the logic being that if the creatures didn't know he was there they wouldn't attack making him safer overall.

They had still managed to find time though for the weekly animagus lessons which was why Harry was currently sitting cross legged on the floor of the sitting room in Sirius's quarters. He'd nearly managed the transformation, he'd managed to transform each part of his body separately but he was still having a bit of trouble transforming his entire body at once. He was still ahead of Hermione and Ron, although he thought that it would only take Hermione a week, and Ron a couple after that until they were at the same stage as he was now.

He felt himself getting frustrated, he'd managed every single individual transformation, and even some simultaneously but he still couldn't manage the full transformation. There was no logical reason why he should have been unable to do so, and frankly it was getting beyond irritating. Focussing his magic inwards he pushed again, trying for the full transformation. When that attempt also failed to work he let out a sound which was a mix between a sigh of frustration and a growl of annoyance. "Why won't you work damn you?" he muttered irritated.

Then all of a sudden he felt the magic rush powerfully through him and before he had even had time to process what was happening he was lying on all four paws, his tail sweeping slowly from side to side. There was a moment of complete blank shock. How on earth had he managed the transformation when he hadn't even been trying but he hadn't been able to do it in all the previous weeks when he had been trying as hard as he could to achieve what he'd managed to do in a fit of pique?

His musings were interrupted and the room above him broke out in cheers. Instantly he ducked his head, trying to bring his paws up to cover his ears. He discovered, in possibly the most uncomfortable way possible just how sharp a wolf's ears were as he tried desperately to block out the explosion of sound which had erupted in the room as his father and friends had realised he had achieved it.

No more than a second later the noise level abruptly dropped and Harry removed his paws form the vicinity of his ears, looking up with as quizzical a look as a large black wolf could manage. He quickly caught sight of his father quieting his friends and cautiously directing them to the back of the room before he approached him warily. "Harry can you understand me?" he asked quietly.

Not knowing quite how to reply Harry let out a coughing bark and he tried to nod his head. The movement felt strange but it conveyed the message and he saw Sirius straighten, relief in his eyes. "Try standing for me pup," he instructed, "I know you have transformed once before but I don't think you were really conscious of it then, and I can tell you that having four paws and a tail takes a lot of getting used to."

A little perplexed by the instruction – he knew how to walk and stand, and he had done so while in wolf form before, Harry tried to clamber to his feet and just as quickly fell flat on his face. A roar of laughter caused his head to snap up, and he saw the figure of his best friend nearly bent double with laughter. However what Ron had forgotten to do was get out of range of the wolf and quick as a flash Harry lunged forward catching the hem of his friend's robe in his teeth and tugging.

With a sudden yelp of surprise Ron fell to the floor, landing nearly on top of Harry in a tangled mess of arms, legs and paws. Grumbling indignantly Ron detangled himself with a "Bloody hell Harry, what on earth did you do that for?" Harry replied with another coughing bark although this one sounded suspiciously like laughter even as he gave his friend's robes another tug, sending him sprawling once again.

Sirius had been watching indulgently as the two boys had been messing about, remembering fondly what he and James had got up to when they had first discovered their forms but now he intervened. "Ron, stand back and Harry behave yourself, you still need to learn how to walk." The proud grin on his face took any possible sting out of the remark and Harry looked up, his tongue lolling out of his mouth in what he thought was a smile even as Ron stood, brushing himself off although he cast a wary look at the wolf, moving away to a safer distance, his face flushing red as he took in Hermione's giggling.

Satisfied that the two boys had settled down, at least for now Sirius turned his full attention to his son. Patiently he began to talk Harry through the process of walking and soon the wolf was up on its feet, albeit supported by Sirius and no more than a few minutes later Harry was walking around quite happily unaided. Sirius let him explore for a few more minutes, making sure Harry got a good feel for his wolf form before he tapped the child on the shoulder and instructed him to change back.

A minute or so later the wolf blurred and in its place was Harry. He stood for all of two seconds before collapsing boneless onto the floor. Deftly Sirius helped him up and led him to the sofa and Harry sank down onto the cushions gratefully as his father handed him a large bar of chocolate. He'd been expecting the collapse, the transformation took a lot of energy, especially the first few times when you were unused to the change and he had been keeping a large supply of chocolate on hand ever since Harry had become close to the transformation.

As he nibbled on the chocolate Harry felt his energy levels return slowly. They were nothing like they had been before they had started to practice but he knew it was nothing that supper and an early night couldn't cure. He glanced up as he saw Hermione join him on the sofa, "That was brilliant Harry!" she exclaimed and the words were echoed by Ron. Harry grinned in response and they quickly lapsed into light hearted banter until Sirius shooed them to the Great Hall with a stern instruction to eat a large supper and to go to bed immediately afterwards. That was one command Harry had no intention of disobeying.

* * *

Slowly the weeks crept by and the Third Task got closer and closer. Dumbledore's attention remained firmly fixed on the tournament and on the articles in the prophet that had slowly but surely been eroding his political clout in such a way that it was extremely difficult to retaliate and as such he had missed the fact that the school was gradually slipping away from him. This lack of attention had only been helped by the fact that Sirius had sprung his diversion scheme on him a few weeks ago. It would fall through in a week or so but it had achieved its purpose. Dumbledore's eyes and mind had been wholly occupied by his scheme leaving him blind to how the school was falling through his fingers.

Sirius was extremely glad that he had delegated the responsibility of Hogwarts to Flitwick and McGonagall, they had sounded out the entire staff that they believed would be able to be trustworthy – regretfully Hagrid was not included in these discussions because as much as they all liked and respected the half giant it was well known that secrets weren't safe in his hands, especially if one added alcohol to the mix. Virtually the entire staff was on board now and those that weren't on in the schemes themselves at least knew enough to rally their support behind McGonagall.

Sirius hadn't been part of those negotiations although he was aware that all the longstanding professors who were aware of the situation had got together for a staff meeting when Dumbledore was busy at the ministry and they had discussed and got together to decide who they would back to be Headmaster and who they could all live with in that role. Sirius didn't know quite what had happened there, although he had been told that everyone had come to the same decision, even Serverus and they had decided to back McGonagall.

Sirius couldn't fault their logic, although she was Head of Gryffindor Minerva treated all students equally except when it came to matters of Quiddich where she shamelessly supported Gryffindor and as the other Heads did exactly the same nobody held it against her. She had already been shouldering the administrative details the Dumbledore had been neglecting, she was a superb teacher and with no ties to the Ministry or the pureblood faction there was no chance she'd pander to them and her first and only priority would be the school.

And once that decision had been made, although the students, except for Harry, and Dumbledore remained thankfully oblivious, the school had been quietly mobilising for the takeover. The documents needed to elect a new Headmaster by a Founder's Heir had been found and filled in by Harry, ready to be used the instant Dumbledore was removed and each individual teacher knew precisely what they were going to do.

The instant Dumbledore was removed as Headmaster several things would happen at once, firstly the papers would be ratified and filled, instantly promoting McGonagall to the position of Headmistress, the school would also simultaneously be sent into lockdown and all the students summoned to the Great Hall. All the floo connections would cut off and the whole staff would rally together and the notices of a new Headmistress would be sent out precisely 24 hours later. The lockdown would serve a double purpose, firstly it would prevent the Board of Governors and the Ministry from getting involved whilst allowing lessons to continue and secondly it would mean that no information would get out the Wizarding World until they were completely sure that they were secure.

Of course it would be obvious that it had been planned as soon as the news got out but by that point it would be too late to do anything and there would be nothing the Ministry or the Board of Governors could do to interfere. He wasn't naive enough to think that there wouldn't be any repercussions, anything from the Ministry trying to stir up trouble but Filius and Minerva had studied the Charter extensively.

Legally the Ministry had no control over Hogwarts, it had been something the Founders had tied into the very being of the castle and the school, as long as a heir opposed the Ministry there was nothing the Ministry could do, and while Sirius knew the Ministry was corrupt they would not stoop to murder, the death eaters who walked free might, but it was difficult to murder a person when you didn't know who to murder and as Harry's identity was being kept from the public and the Ministry, they had no target. All they would know that there was a heir and that they opposed what the Ministry were planning. It had only been when the founder's lines had appeared to fade into oblivion that the Ministry had begun to interfere in Hogwarts, detailing what could and could not be taught for example.

Filius and Minerva had been overjoyed when they had discovered that benefit of Harry appointing a Headmaster, and opposing Ministry interference. They had both gone to school when fewer things had been restricted by the Ministry and during their years at their posts they had seen many branches of their subjects fall away, banned or regulated and they couldn't wait to bring those classes back.

Animagus classes for the seventh years, ritual magic and warding, spell creation and healing were all electives that they planned on bringing back to mainstream education. They would have to hire new teachers of course and there had been worries surrounding budgeting but the older staff members had been firm, "We offered those classes before," McGonagall said bluntly, "There is no reason that once the Ministry cannot interfere that we should not offer them again."

Everything was ready, the only thing that was left was to remove Dumbledore as Headmaster and that was being left to Sirius. Between Remus and himself they had been steadily eroding his power base until there was little support for him left to remain in his positions. It was odd Sirius mused, that they had done nothing to remove or threaten the man's reputation, if fact they might have even strengthened the loyalty many people felt towards the meddling old fool but because of that loyalty they were called from his removal from those offices which 'burdened' him.

Sirius had to enjoy the irony. Dumbledore was being removed from his influence in the Wizarding World because of his huge influence in the Wizarding World and the dedication and loyalty he had carefully cultivated. He had built himself up to be the infallible leader, and hero of the Wizarding World and it was through the careful manipulation of everything he had worked towards the he would be removed from the dangerous position of authority he held.

The only thing he had to do was make the right call for his dismissal. That was riding on Sirius, he would give the order as it were, when the time was right and Dumbledore would be removed but he had to be careful. He had the support of the majority of the Wizarding population, and the support of many people that wanted to see Dumbledore's influence reduced for many reasons and not all of them good. But Hogwarts would not fall into that vacuum and the Wizengamot, thankfully had not fallen either.

Griselda Marchebanks had been elected to the office of Chief Witch and Sirius was pleased by the selection. Clever, tough as nails and had absolutely no ties to the pureblood movement, she was also fair and would obey the laws, a typical Ravenclaw if there ever was one. She was not as modern as he would have liked but there was no denying that she would deal with the Wizengamot and the petty squabbling that was politics with a firm hand. If she didn't wasn't a liberal in her approach then it couldn't be helped. With the current crop preventing any pro-pureblood legislation getting past and keeping that body on that straight and narrow, weeding out the corruption that infested it would be a miracle and if she could manage that he would applaud her.

But that didn't change the fact that the responsibility of deposing Dumbledore had fallen to him and he was acutely aware that if he did this wrong he would be dramatically increasing the danger Harry was in and that was something he could not, would not let happen. Well he thought grimly, he would just have to make the right decision and it was something he was not going to get wrong. He was not going to endanger his child.

* * *

Dumbledore frowned as he stared unseeingly at the door at the far side of his office. He was ready to damn Sirius Black to hell and back. Not only had he managed completely and utterly successfully to remove Harry from his influence and control almost completely with him acquiring his freedom and then blood adopting the boy, he was also proving a thorn in his side as the recent weeks had shown him quite clearly.

He couldn't begrudge the child the happiness and love he had found in having Sirius as a parent, not when he had been made painfully aware of what the boy had been forced to endure at the hands of his relatives, and not when he knew that love was the most powerful magic that the child could have, and with his suspicions that it would prove to be the power he knows not but he could and certainly did begrudge the loss of control and the disruption to all of his perfectly laid schemes and plans.

And speaking of disruption, he sighed again as he thought of the previous two weeks. He had been waiting for Sirius to make his move, and he couldn't say he had been surprised when he had but there had been something a little wrong about it. On the face of things it had appeared to be precisely what he would have expected from Sirius, a reckless move, which while it could have been effective it could easily backfire, but without any cost to himself or Harry.

It had started off simply enough, and he hadn't clued in until really very recently and during those two weeks when he had not clued in he had treated it like and real threat, and he still had to focus a large portion of his attention on it because while it was unlikely that the scheme would actually cause him damage there was still the possibility that if it got outside his control that it could do so and that was not a risk he was willing to take because the consequences if Sirius managed to pull it off would be dire.

The man had applied to the DMLE for a restraining order to be given to Albus Dumbledore which would require him to forgo any and all contact with Harry Potter, and deal with all school related matters through Minerva McGonagall in her capacity as Deputy Headmistress. He was in no doubt that Sirius had taken this step when he had discovered what had happened in Harry's detention. He wasn't so naive as to think that the child had not said anything to his guardian, particularly as it was becoming painfully obvious that Sirius was about the only adult the boy trusted completely, and it was true that he had first received notification of the application a mere week after Harry's detention.

That restraining order and the subsequent investigation had taken a lot of time, and there was still the verdict to come in a couple of days time. From the penetrating questions he had been subjected to – though thankfully no veritasium had been used – he had gathered that Sirius had spoken very frankly to the Aurors about why he was trying to get the restraining order, although the man had not as far as he could see said anything about horcruxes and his original plan to have Harry sacrifice himself for the Good of the Wizarding World.

He was pleased about that, it showed that even though Sirius Black was opposing him the man still understood that there were some things that were far too dangerous for the general public to know about and in a similar vein he had noted, that although there was a brief mention of the case, no details of why or what had happened to Harry had appeared in the media. However in this case he knew that the fact that information had not been made public was that Sirius wanted Harry's life to be kept private and it was probably also at the behest of the child himself because Dumbledore knew that Harry was a very private, and indeed shy boy and he would hate for his life to be splashed over the front pages of the prophet and if it hurt Harry Black would not contemplate doing it. He had learnt that much about the man, nothing you could do or say would ever make him hurt his child.

He might have admired that quality in Sirius and the love that had prompted him to take that action if he had not been working in almost direct opposition to him and that the love had been the driving force which had scuppered his plans and schemes. Not only had the investigation been uncomfortable and demeaning as it forced him to bring up issues that had been dead and buried and it made him justify his actions to people who did not understand that what he had done was sincerely for the best.

Yes he hated the fact that he would have had to sacrifice Harry to allow Voldemort to die but that madman had killed so many and if he was not stopped he would not rest until magical society was wiped out. He had to be stopped and in that situation if the only thing that was able to stop him was a sacrifice then he had to make a sacrifice. He could remember the old stories when in order to appease magic a child had to be sacrificed. Nobody had wanted to but it had been the only option and the consequences that would happen if the sacrifice was not made would be too terrible to comprehend. But now, when he had been the only one who was willing to make those judgements they came in and passed judgement on him, saying there could have been another way, he should have looked but when there was no other way and that he had sincerely been doing everything he possibly could to save the Wizarding World.

It rankled and rankled more than he gave it credit for, not that the restraining order stood any hope of passing, his reputation and the numerous favours he had called in would see to that, but still having to justify his actions was an unpleasant and humiliating experience. Who were they to sit in judgement when all they had done was cower in their homes and refuse to fight?

It had been the fact that the restraining order had had virtually no chance of passing that had alerted him to the fact that something was not right. The scheme had appeared to be classic Sirius, reckless, not thought through but not something that would endanger Harry but he had slowly begun to realise that it was too classic to be real.

The scheme and the order had been what he would have expected from the man before he went to Azkaban and he had seen too clearly how Azkaban had changed him. The Sirius he knew now had changed, no longer was he the rash youth that had stalked Hogwarts's halls, he was much more cunning, he planned more and above all he never did anything in regards to Harry that he didn't know would work out. Black was clever, he may have hid it during his time at Hogwarts but it was obvious to anyone who knew him well and there was no way he could not have known that such as case stood no chance of being found in his favour.

It was that thought that had led to something very uncomfortable to stir in his mind. The court case he had been so caught up in, that he had placed all his spare attention in had been nothing more than a diversion, placed there to draw his attention away from what Black was actually planning and he was forced to admit that it had worked perfectly. He had been so caught up in that scheme that he had lost sight of everything that had not needed his immediate or his continued involvement leaving him blind to whatever scheme Sirius was actually going to pull. And that thought worried him.

* * *

Harry shifted nervously from foot to foot as he waited outside the side chamber. McGonagall had come and spoken to him during breakfast to tell him that his family were coming to see him in the tournament and he was to wait for them here until they arrived. That had been enough to worry and confuse him. The Dursleys were the only family he had apart from Sirius and he knew that his father unfortunately had to teach this morning. It was only the fact that he knew that the Dursleys were currently enjoying their stay in the Goblin Mines that had prevented him from vanishing up to the Room of Requirement to practice in the last few hours.

A few minutes later McGonagall came over and addressed the Champions, "Your families have arrived," she told them briskly, "They are waiting for you in the side chamber." Her words were greeted with thankful smiles by the rest of the champions but Harry felt a stone settle in his gut, even though the Dursleys weren't going to be there he knew that there would be nobody waiting for him and that hurt. He had grown up as the little orphan boy and freak and even though Sirius had been the best father he could have asked for and had removed the vast majority of that hurt it still couldn't erase all the hurt and a small child's wish for a family.

Reluctantly he followed the other Champions through the door only to be met by a grinning Remus. "Moony?" He blurted out in shock. The werewolf just slanted him an amused smile. "Who else were you expecting cub?" He asked softly, "Padfoot is teaching but he was determined you wouldn't be the only champion without a family cheering you on in the stands and keeping you company today."

Harry felt a wave of love rise up in him as he realised what his father had done and he smiled at the Marauder. In all honesty he hadn't expected anyone to be there for him when his father couldn't be and the fact Remus was, and that his father had asked him to. He may have still been a little uncomfortable around Remus, but he could safely say that he was the person after Sirius that he trusted the most. He had written to him throughout the year and hadn't abandoned him even when he had found out about the Dursleys and that was a huge positive in Harry's book.

The werewolf gave him a quick embrace before turning him towards a second group of people that had hung back waiting for him to greet Remus. Harry followed him, slightly confused as there was nobody else he had expected to see but before he could get very far he was engulfed in a motherly hug. "How are you then?" Andromeda Tonks asked as she stepped back and looked him over with a critical healer's eye.

"I'm fine Aunt Andi," Harry replied quickly, "I've been taking all the potions you left me," he couldn't help but pull a face at that, "And Dad won't let me miss a meal and he makes sure I get plenty of sleep." The woman looked at him sternly for another moment before pulling him back into a hug.

"Good to hear you little monster," She told him, ruffling his hair affectionately. Harry grimaced and ducked out of the way of the incoming hand. He had seen Andromeda quite a lot over the summer as she had visited almost weekly to check his health and chat with Sirius, and even once he was at Hogwarts those visits had continued, albeit monthly instead of weekly.

He thought it had been the on the second visit that she had told him to call him Aunt Andi because she was Sirius's cousin. That name hadn't really stuck until Christmas though but when she had heard of the adoption she had put her foot down, telling both of them quite sternly that, "Sirius was the only other Black in my generation that hasn't gone bad and I have precious little family left so that now you are my cousin's son you are my nephew and you will from now on always call me Aunt Andi, is that quite clear young man?"

There hadn't been much they could say to that, and Harry found that he didn't mind having her as an Aunt. Certainly she was nothing like Aunt Petunia, she was more like Sirius, stubborn as anything, wouldn't take no for an answer, good to the core and she loved her family more than anything. It felt nice to have good female figure in his life, because although in previous years Molly Weasely had tried to fill that vacuum in his life he had always found her fairly full on and overbearing and that had overwhelmed him on more than one occasion.

He snapped his mind back when he realised that she was talking to him and he hadn't been paying attention, "Ted won't be coming – he couldn't get away from work but Nyphandora has come..."

The rest of that sentence was drowned out by an indignant cry, "I've told you Mum! It's TONKS!" Harry spun round to see a lithe young woman, he guessed that she was in her early twenties standing a bit behind them and glaring daggers at her mother, her hair bright red. However the moment her eyes landed on Harry they lit up and her hair sprang upwards into what Harry would soon learn was its normal shape and colour of spiky bubblegum pink as a huge grin spread across her face.

The next thing Harry knew was that he was being hugged happily. "I've wanted to meet you since the summer and Mum said I have a new proper cousin," Tonks babbled excitement shining through every single word. She released him and Harry blurted out the first question that sprang to mind.

"What on earth did you do to your hair?" The moment he said it he clamped his mouth shut, worried that he'd just offended her but Tonks just laughed.

"I'm a metamorph, I can change my appearance at will which is dead useful, the downside though is that it makes me dead clumsy."

"No 'Dora, that's natural I'm afraid." Andromeda put in and Tonks spun round to glare at her mother, but in the process she tripped over her own feet and ended up in a heap on the floor. Harry just stared at her incredulously for a few seconds before he cracked up. Blushing the metamorph clambered to her feet and pinned him with a glare although her pink hair gave away the amusement that bubbled just beneath the surface. Harry stopped laughing immediately but Tonks just rolled her eyes and transformed her face to look like Harry's had for a moment.

He couldn't help but blush and Tonks's laugh rang out and he scowled half heartedly but her laughter and bubbly personality were infectious and soon the whole group was laughing.

The rest of the day passed in a very enjoyable fashion and Harry slowly found himself becoming more and more relaxed in his family's presence. Tonks was almost impossible not to like and when his father joined them after lunch it was almost possible to forget what would be happening that evening as for the first time in his life he enjoyed spending his afternoon with his family, not a family that was borrowed but one that was completely his.

* * *

Hi all, hope you all enjoy the update. I know this is quite a bit shorter than some of my other chapters but I wanted to deal with the maze and the graveyard in the same chapter and that would have made it far too long.

Anyway hope you enjoyed it and please review!

New Author's Note

**THIS STORY IS NOT ABANDONED! I AM WORKING ON THE NEXT CHAPTER ALBEIT SLOWLY AND THE SAME HOLDS TRUE FOR MY OTHER STORY. **I have been crazily busy with a holiday to Sweden, a show and the start of my A Levels (think NEWTS with the nastily exhausting part being definitely true!) I hope to put up an update sometime in the next week or so, with AGB being updated a few weeks later.

Sorry


	36. The Third Task

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 35 – The Third Task**

All too soon the third task arrived and it was a very nervous Harry Potter that made his way slowly down to the Quiddich Pitch, his family surrounding him. Although intellectually he knew that he had prepared for this task just as thoroughly, if not more so than he had done for the previous two tasks and they had both turned out alrifooght he couldn't stop the feeling of dread and nervousness which rose up inside him, almost choking him with its strength.

Reaching the field, Remus, Andromeda and Tonks all hugged him before retreating up to the family gallery in the stands. Harry watched them go, his heart thudding painfully against his rib cage, during the day he had been able to pretend that there wasn't a task coming up, that he wouldn't have to go outside that evening and risk his life for the enjoyment of the wizarding population but seeing his family head up to the stands had just hammered it home to him that the task was going to start in half an hour and he didn't feel even remotely ready.

A comforting hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts and he glanced up to meet a pair of slate grey eyes. "It will be alright Harry," Sirius murmured, his own voice betraying the concern and worry he felt, "You've prepared really hard and there will be several of us patrolling the edge of the maze, if anything goes wrong it will be sorted out quickly and no matter what happens we will keep you safe."

Harry swallowed hard, unable to look up and meet his father's gaze. Above him he heard the man sigh and he found himself being gently steered to a corner of the arena, out of sight from the gathering crowds. Once he was there he was pulled back against a strong chest and he felt his father's arms wrap around him even as Sirius rested his chin on top of the messy black head.

He relaxed almost instantly, it was difficult to hold onto his fear when he was cocooned in his father's arms but even that didn't remove the gnawing fear in the pit of his stomach. He felt Sirius's hand rub soothingly along his arm, "I know you are frightened Harry," Sirius said softly, "I'm frightened too but you will survive I promise you that. It will be over soon, you're nearly there and as soon as this task is finished the tournament will be over. There is nothing else they can make you do."

Harry stayed silent for several more minutes, just absorbing the comfort his father provided but eventually Sirius released him, "Come on pup, it starts in ten minutes," he said quietly. Harry just nodded, his nerves kicking in hard but it had helped. Sirius was right, he'd get through this just like he'd done on the other two tasks and then it would be over and he'd be free of the stupid competition.

They walked back out into the main part of the arena and Harry could see the other three champions standing with the judges. Bagman's face was creased with worry but the worry evaporated as he spotted Harry and he started to hurry towards them. Sirius squeezed his shoulders gently, "I think that's my cue to go," he said lightly and Harry attempted to smile but it was rather strained. His father noticed this and rubbed one hand across his shoulders reassuringly, "You will be absolutely brilliant," he said quietly, his voice thick, "But just remember I am incredibly proud of you."

The smile that faced Sirius now wasn't strained and the man smiled as reassuringly as he could down at his child, giving his shoulders one last squeeze before he headed up to the viewing stands. He had applied to be one of those patrolling the maze but as Harry had been selected as champion he had been rejected on the grounds that his presence could confer an unfair advantage to Harry and there would be the large possibility that he would cheat or try to help.

Silently Sirius acknowledged that they had a point. If he had been patrolling the maze and he had seen that his son was in danger and needed help he would have acted immediately, tournament rules be damned. He had tried not to show it earlier, he knew Harry had needed the reassurance desperately and he wouldn't have helped his son if he had added his own fears to the burden his son was already carrying but he was extremely nervous when it came to this task.

The third task was historically the most dangerous, and the vast majority of fatalities had occurred during the third task. He knew that the Ministry was trying to make sure these games were not deadly but he didn't trust the ministry as far as he could throw them. The whole body was filled with incompetents and idiots and the few in that body who were genuinely competent were outnumbered vastly by those who weren't or those who were competent but corrupt. Heck their incompetence had already been shown in the fact that his son had been entered into this farce in the first place and although he knew just how well prepared Harry was, he knew just how hard he had practiced he couldn't shake the deep feeling of foreboding that something was going to go wrong.

A touch on his arm startled him out of his thoughts and he jerked his head up to meet the amber gaze of a concerned werewolf. "I'm fine Moony," he said quietly. Remus just snorted,

"Of course you aren't," he rejoined immediately, "You are anything but fine and any fool can see it, even the idiot of our minister could notice that." Against his will his lips twitched upwards although the moment of levity was brief. "It's your child out there," Remus continued, his voice soft, "And he's competing in a tournament that's claimed lives. Of course you're terrified for him, any parent would be and you are the most doting parent a child could have. If you weren't sitting there worried out of your mind I'd have already gone to Poppy to find out if an overdose of calming potions requires any special medical interventions."

Sirius's lips twitched again, even as he kept his eyes fixed on the slight figure of his son as he stood before the Ministry representatives as they presumably went over the rules for this particular task. Inwardly he thanked his old friend. He didn't know how the werewolf managed it but he had been able to lighten the worry slightly, not remove it by any means but make it that little easier to bear simply because he hadn't tried to remove it, he knew full well that Sirius would be frantic until the task was over but he had let him rationalise it and accept it.

It was obvious that they had finished instructing the champions as the four of them separated, all moving to stand in front of one of the golden gates which were the entrances to the maze. Suddenly Ludo Bagman's voice crackled into the arena. "Welcome to the Third and final Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. As you all can see our four champions have to navigate the maze with the first one to the cup in the centre being named the Tri-Wizard Champion!" There was a roar of approval from the spectators but Sirius's ignored it, all of his attention fixed on his son.

"The points stand thus," Bagman's magically amplified voice boomed out across the arena, "Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy, 63 points! Mr Victor Krum of Durmstrang Institute 82 points, Mr Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 82 points and finally Mr Harry Potter also of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, 91 points!" The roar that greeted this statement was the loudest yet and Sirius felt pride well up inside him at the thought of what his child had accomplished.

The pride however was swept away and replaced with fear at Bagman's next words. His child would be going into the maze first and it was only his friend's and cousin's presence at his side and the knowledge that if he interfered now, before the third task had started and pulled Harry out, he would be responsible for his child losing his magic. It didn't stop him from digging his nails into his palms though as he clenched his fists hard enough for his nails to draw blood, his face taut with worry as he heard the gong sound and his child entered into the maze.

* * *

The instant he stepped into the maze the gate behind him slammed shut and abruptly all sound from the stands cut off. More than a little disconcerted Harry started to walk forwards cautiously, his wand already out and ready. He didn't care that he might be affectively forfeiting the cup, he didn't want to be in this dratted tournament anyway and he certainly didn't care whether he won or not, his primary concern was staying alive and not making a fool out of himself. He knew that the maze couldn't be as simple as just navigating it, there had to be traps scattered throughout and he dreaded to think what sort of creatures he might have to face especially if Hagrid had contributed. He loved the half-giant but he really didn't have much idea of what was dangerous for a normal human.

Get a grip, he told himself firmly, you are in the maze there is nothing you can do about it and panicking will not help. There will be creatures and traps there is nothing you can do about it but you are going to face them and survive. You've done it before against far worse creatures and traps that will be here; nobody in this tournament intends to kill you.

With that thought firmly in his mind he started to move at a light jog, his eyes flicking warily, constantly checking the surroundings for any sign of danger, his wand swivelling to face a potential threat at every sound.

It was dark inside the maze, and his lighted wand tip was the only thing shedding light into the gloom but there was only so far that the light could reach. Beyond his small sphere of protective light the gloom pressed in looming over him even as the tall hedges rose up, towering about him and pressing in all sides, choking in their oppressiveness. The air was still, completely devoid of movement or life, with not even a breath of wind to disturb the silence. Despite being surrounded on all sides by breathing hedges the maze felt dead. Nothing stirred and nothing would ever stir. He was the intruder here and he felt like the maze was silently warning him. Go back, go back, go back.

The harsh rasp of his breathing and the crunch of his feet on the dying grass were the only sounds in the gloom and he was painfully aware that any creature would easily be able to hear him coming, that even if he placed a silencing spell on himself he still would be able to be heard because the dead blades cracked and snapped with every step he took.

Harry was also uncomfortably aware that his wand was currently his only source of light and if he encountered anything that required him to cast spells he would be operating entirely in the dark. He slowed and then stopped his mind racing furiously. Being in the dark against and unknown trap or creature would put him at a huge disadvantage and trying to use his wand to create light would leave him vulnerable and unable to defend himself and that was a risk he couldn't take.

Frowning heavily he racked his brains looking for anything that could possibly help him when suddenly it came to him. In their first year Hermione had conjured flames which she kept in a glass jar and that didn't need to be cast continuously. The only problem was that he didn't have a glass jar and he had nothing to transfigure into one, and conjuration of solid objects had not yet been taught in transfiguration or by Sirius, understandably it hadn't been top on their priority list.

So that idea wouldn't quite work, however the concept was sound. Suddenly an idea came to him and he crouched down his hands scrabbling across the ground. There were several tense moments before his fingers finally closed on the object he had been seeking, a small pebble. It wasn't much but he knew he'd be able to transfigure it into what he needed. A few seconds later a small and slightly lopsided lantern took the pebble's place. He grimaced, it wasn't perfect but it would do. For good measure he cast an unbreakable charm on it before a small spray of flames jumped out of his wand and into the lantern, immediately casting light throughout the surrounding area.

Harry let out a sigh of relief, and another scrabble across the ground revealed another pebble, this one being transfigured into just under a meter of rope. Passing it through the loop at the top of the lantern he tied the rope securely around his middle. He checked it over once before nodding in satisfaction, he had a source of light that left his hands and wand free to fight and cast, that was something that was going to be very useful.

Satisfied that everything was in place he started to jog again, using the point-me spell at every intersection he came to as he went deeper and deeper into the maze. He was beginning to be concerned that there weren't any traps; it couldn't be so simple as to be just a maze could it? The instant that thought entered his head he immediately rejected it, the Wizarding World liked their sport, he'd seen enough of that during this thrice damned tournament and he knew that they would not be satisfied with a non lethal maze.

It made him sick. A world that got its entertainment from watching children risk their lives and a society where the upper echelons looked down on anything or anyone that was not 'pureblood'. It was cruel, barbaric and disgusting but he reminded himself forcibly that that was only the bad in the Wizarding World, along with awful pain, suffering and cruelty there was also beauty, love and friendship. And he was not going to stand by and let the darkness win. He'd fight it with everything he had and he knew that it might take his lifetime but things would change.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a sudden coldness. It seeped through his bones and suddenly in the back of his mind the screaming started. It was quiet at first but it was getting louder and louder. He knew what it would say, he'd heard those words, repeated them thousands of times in his mind and he knew there was only one creature that forced him to relive those memories.

His hand shaking, he raised his wand. It didn't matter that he could cast a patronus; it didn't stop the dementors from affecting him before he could cast it. Gritting his teeth he forced the words out, "Expecto Patronum!" Bright silver light poured out of his wand and instantly the coldness vanished as his patronus charged into the dementor, knocking it backwards as it rammed into the foul creature.

The creature let out a howl of agony as the pure form of light and goodness slammed into it. A dementor would always flee from a patronus but here in the maze, in the enclosed space it had nowhere to turn. The touch of something so pure was poison to it and it screamed out its agony and fear to the skies.

Harry's bones turned to lead and he took several fumbling steps backwards his hands automatically coming up to his ears to try and save them from that terrible sound but even with his fists screwed tight against his ears there was nothing that could block out that awful sound. He dropped to his knees, his wand slipping from numb fingers but the spell had been cast and his patronus harried the dementor as its scream rent the sky.

Finally it was over. Throughout it all his flame had never flickered out and he reached out with trembling fingers to grasp his wand, grateful for the pool of light it provided before he cautiously raised his head and looked at the scene before him, the dementor's death cry still haunting his ears. When he did so he almost dropped his wand again in shock. He hadn't seen his patronus clearly when he had cast it, the light had been too strong and his mind had been occupied by the dementor's cry no more than a second later but what he could see now stole his breath.

Before he'd only had one animal but looking at them now the shinning silver stag that represented his first father stood proudly, as if it were guarding him while its companion, a large silver dog that looked identical to Sirius's animagus form looked at him proudly even as he could see it stood ready to attack should another threat arise. Harry stared at them, his throat too choked to speak, not that he thought he'd be able to find any words.

Slowly his gaze drifted downwards. All that remained of the dementor was a shapeless and torn black cloak. It was almost comical. The most feared creature in the Wizarding World had been reduced to nothing more than a ripped and tattered old cloak that lay in a heap on the ground. It felt almost anticlimactic in a way, but then he remembered the awful screaming and he shuddered.

Pulling himself together he stepped over the filthy piece of cloth, patting each of his patroni in turn and watching as they faded from view. Adrenalin was pumping through his system and he held his wand firmly in front of him. He'd encountered the first trap, now all he had to do was survive long enough to get to the cup or for another contestant to reach it and for the task to end.

It seemed that he had entered into the area that was filled with traps because he hadn't passed more than one intersection before he came face to face with another threat, although this time he just stared at the trap before him in bemusement. It was obviously a trap, it couldn't be anything else but he had never seen a silver mist that hung, almost harmlessly in the air before.

Biting his lip in concentration he sent one of the ward detection spells he had learnt whilst working on the egg at it only for the spell to pass straight through. He almost took a step back in shock before he composed himself and forced himself to think about this logically and rationally. It obviously was not something that could move to attack him seeing as he had been standing here for a few minutes and it had done nothing and it was not a ward of any kind because it had not responded to the detection spell, in fact he'd be willing to bet it wouldn't respond to any other spells, seeing as his first had just passed harmlessly through.

He narrowed his eyes and shot another detection spell at it, followed by a banishing charm to see if anything would happen but both spells passed harmlessly through. That confirmed his thoughts; whatever it was couldn't be affected by magic. But that didn't mean physical objects would have an effect. Quickly he turned to the hedge beside him and with a quick tug he pulled of a fist of leaves and a twig. A quick banishing charm sent the objects flying through. Nothing happened to them. That therefore meant whatever that mist did had to be mental.

Gritting his teeth Harry pushed his occulmency barriers up to the maximum before stepping into the mist.

His hands flew to his eyes, everything had suddenly gone dark, and every single sound, the rustle of the leaves in the hedges, the sound of his footsteps and even the harsh rush of his breathing and the thumping of his heart had abruptly vanished. A sense of loneliness began to grow in the back of his mind, quickly consuming everything else. Robbed of sight, smell and sound he was completely alone, trapped.

It bore down on him, an awful crushing weight, he was alone, trapped and there was nothing he could do. What was the use in going on, what was the use of the tournament when all he was alone and would always alone. Voices pressed in on him from all sides. Alone, alone, alone they chanted, the volume rising and rising until it drowned out everything else. He felt despair fill him but a quiet voice in the back of his mind started up. "You aren't," it said.

Instantly the voices responded, "Alone, alone, alone," they hissed, "Abandoned, worthless, nothing and alone."

But the voice was not silenced, if anything it was gaining strength, "You aren't," it whispered, "You've got Ron, Hermione, Neville, Susan, Hannah, Fred, George," with every name it spoke the voice became louder, slowly pushing the other whispers away as it continued to list, "Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley, Andromeda, Tonks, Remus." It was right Harry decided suddenly, the voice was right, he wasn't alone and he hadn't been alone at any point in the last year. As the final name was spoken, this time a roar in his ears he stepped forward and fell onto solid ground.

Harry pushed himself shakily to his feet, Sirius's name still ringing through his mind, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Clambering to his feet, he took several deep breaths, to help regain his composure and glancing back at the innocuous looking mist he broke into a jog but he hadn't gone more than a hundred meters before a scream rent the air.

It wasn't from a dementor but the sound made Harry's blood run cold. It was from one of the other champions; almost certainly Fleur and he knew it meant she was in trouble and almost certainly fighting for her life. That realisation crashed down on him, somewhere in that maze, Fleur was in danger and there was nothing he could do to help. He didn't know the girl well but he knew that she did not deserve to be badly injured or to die.

He stood there frozen, his heart hammering against his ribs until he saw red sparks burst into the sky from the area the scream had originated from. He didn't know what state she was in but she had sent up red sparks so she was alive and she would recover. He knew from first-hand experience that Madam Pomfrey was able to deal with all manner of life threatening conditions and injuries.

He swallowed hard to remove the lump in his throat before he continued warily. Her scream had unsettled him more than he was letting on and it thrust home the uncomfortable realisation that he was indeed fighting for his life and that this tournament had claimed lives.

Abruptly he pushed those thoughts away, it would do nothing but distract him and he was still in the maze where any distraction could land him with a major injury or worse. He held his wand out in front of him unwaveringly as he proceeded cautiously through the maze, immensely grateful for the light shining brightly from his transfigured lantern.

The traps were coming thick and fast now and he could barely travel twenty meters before he encountered a new threat. Gritting his teeth together hard he faced every single threat patiently as he went deeper and deeper into the maze. The traps may have been more frequent but they were easy enough to deal with, a boggart was nothing compared with a real dementor and the few basic wards he encountered he had been easily able to bypass with a variety of the ward detecting spells his father had taught him and brute force, and even the Devil's Snare he had encountered hadn't been much of a challenge, the light from his lantern had already been driving it back and a burst of flame had sent it scurrying for the shadows.

But the current obstacle though...

"Um could you please repeat that?" He asked nervously. The Sphinx blinked slowly, staring down at him with golden eyes that were slanted in amusement and spoke once again,

"_I am the beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness,_

_You cannot express happiness without me,_

_Yet I am in the midst of crosses,_

_I am always in risk but never in danger,_

_You may find me in the sun, but never out of darkness,_

_What am I?" _

Harry frowned as he thought about the riddle, "And I have to answer correctly in order to pass?" The Sphinx just nodded and Harry started pacing muttering to himself as he contemplated the riddle.

"Risk and danger are basically the same thing so it can't be a thing or an object, if you are in risk you are in danger so it's got be something more obscure and not an object. That's no use. Beginning of sorrow and the end of sickness – death, no it can't be death because death isn't happy and can't be at risk, and anyway it can't be a thing or a person." Harry continued to mutter for several more minutes, wishing that Hermione were here, he knew that his friend was excellent at solving puzzles of any form and he wasn't, or at least puzzles that involved logic of any form, crazy leaps from scraps of evidence – he could certainly do that but that wasn't any use here.

The sphinx was becoming impatient. Harry could see her tail lashing from side to side. He had just about made up his mind to go another way and try to avoid her when the answer struck him.

"The letter s!" He cried out, "It isn't any sort of object at all, it's just the letter!" The sphinx nodded slowly before rising to her forepaws and letting Harry move quickly pass. With a word of thanks he ran past her, not eager to stay in the same vicinity as an exasperated or bored sphinx, Ron had told him several tales from Egypt about what could and had been done by Sphinxes in the past and he had no intention of staying around to see if those stories were true.

He hadn't gone more than another fifty meters before a bloodcurdling scream rent the air, this one far close than the scream he had heard earlier. Harry froze, and the scream came again, and underneath the sound he heard a cry that he had hoped never to have to hear again. "Crucio!"

He didn't stop to think. His wand slashed downwards a thin stream of fire searing from its tip. The hedges were no match for the onslaught and they parted quickly, branches and leaves crumbling to charcoal as the flames licked hungrily at the dry tinder. Harry forced himself through the gap, he knew the cry had come from nearby, his feet pounding on the grass, not even attempting to conceal his presence.

The scream came again, it was just up ahead and he burst round the corner to see the figure of Krum standing over Cedric, his wand raised and the incantation on his lips. Harry acted purely on instinct, he didn't even know what spell had had cast but a second later Krum was on the floor, lying motionless. Harry spared a single glance at him, just to check his spell hadn't hurt him and that he was still breathing before he hurried to the Hufflepuff Champion's side.

"You alright there Cedric?" The instant he asked the question he knew it was stupid, nobody was going to be alright after having been hit by the cruciatus, he'd only seen it performed on a spider, but that one demonstration had been enough to show him that conclusively.

The taller boy was pushing himself shakily to his feet, "I'll be fine," he answered, his voice cracked. Harry just nodded, not really knowing what to say to him next, or what would even be sensible to say.

"I never thought he'd do something like that," Cedric remarked quietly, "I mean he seemed a decent enough chap, a bit aloof and competitive but not really into torturing." The silence fell for another long moment.

"We'd better send sparks up," Harry volunteered, "Nobody deserves to get eaten by whatever pets Hagrid put in here." Somewhat to his surprise Cedric nodded instantly, and at Harry's look he elaborated,

"I ran into one of those Skrewts earlier." They exchanged a grimace at the thought of those monsters, before Cedric sent up red sparks. They looked at another suddenly a little out of place and unsure. They had been working together but now they were competing against one another as enemies once again. A quick glance back told Harry that his fire had been controlled, or at the very least wasn't spreading so he exchanged a tight smile with the other champion before vanishing down a path that led deeper into the heart of the maze.

It was getting darker and the traps were becoming fewer, although each traps was more deadly than the last. He was nearly there, Harry could feel it. Soon he would be there and this entire nightmare could end and he'd be free of this awful tournament. He turned a corner abruptly and suddenly he came face to face with a long straight path, the hedges towering above him on either side. It was unlike anything he had seen before in the maze and he knew then suddenly that he had almost made it.

He broke into a quick jog, wanting nothing more to get to that cup and for the tournament to be over. It happened so quickly and so slowly at the same time. One instant he had just run out of the hedgerows into a large clearing, and his eyes vaguely registered Cedric appearing from another opening, and the next his wand was up and casting, incantations screaming from his lips as a large acromantula burst out of the foliage to land in front of him, pincers clicking menacingly as it advanced.

He cast frantically, knowing that Cedric was doing the same but it didn't make any different, the spells barely seemed to slow the creature as it advanced. It was getting closer, it could almost touch him. Harry yelled out a spell, but the stunner just bounced harmlessly off the creature's hide and the next second he was airborne, the spider's pincers sinking deep into his side.

Cedric was screaming something but Harry couldn't hear him through the blood pounding in his ears. The spider's venom seared his side, nowhere near as potent as the basilisk venom but that didn't stop it from burning in his veins. The older boy's spells splashed harmlessly against the spider's side and with a sudden moment of crystal clarity he knew he had just moment to escape and with that sudden blinding certainty came the knowledge of the one last thing he could try.

Pushing his mind away from the pain he focused on his wolf form. It was the hardest transformation he had even done but a fraught second later he was a wolf and he slipped through the spider's pincers, the creature unprepared for his sudden shape-change, falling to the ground in a heap. Pain streaked through him but he battled to his feet knowing he had precious few seconds to attack, and if the spider caught him again he wouldn't have a second chance.

He lunged upwards, fangs sinking into the soft underbelly of the monster. Hot blood filled him mouth and it took all his willpower not to turn away and gag but he held grimly on, his fangs sinking deeper into the creature's unprotected underside. The acromantula let out a shriek and it shook itself violently. Harry didn't have enough strength to hang on and he flew across the clearing landing hard on his side, letting out a gasp as he lost his grip on the transformation and blurred back into his human form, his hands automatically going to his side and to the deep gouge the spider's pincers had left in his side, even as his hands still clutched convulsively to his wand.

Cedric has seized the opportunity and a red stunner streaked past him, impacting the monster in the precise place Harry's fangs had sunk mere moments before. This spell struck true and with a horrifying wail the creature collapsed, its body crashing down mere meters from where Harry lay.

There was a beat of deep silence then the older boy hurried over to Harry his expression fearful. His expression changed to a grimace as he noticed Harry's position. Even though Harry had managed to drag himself upright he could feel the wound throbbing in his sides. The pincers had not got through to the bond thankfully but the gashes were still bleeding fiercely and obviously visible through the bloodstained rips in his robes.

Harry saw Cedric's expression blanch and he looked at him confused for a second before he realised that despite being a champion this was probably the first time that the older boy had seen anyone so badly injured. Harry had grabbed a fist of his torn robes which he'd pressed over the wounds as a makeshift bandage, it wasn't doing that much good but it was better than nothing, especially when he didn't know any healing spells. The wounds themselves wouldn't be fatal, they weren't too deep but the main problem was the venom, however it was far less potent than the basilisk venom had been and Harry was confident that it would be several hours before he was in danger, and that was if the phoenix tears in his blood had lost all their potency.

He saw Cedric swallow hard then with a wave of his wand a wad of cloth appeared in the air. Harry accepted the cleaner and far more effective bandages with a nod of thanks, fastening them securely around his ribs and pulling himself to his feet with a groan. "I've had worse," Harry said a touch too flippantly as the older boy looked at him concern in his eyes.

He sensed rather than saw Cedric swallow at that comment, "I'd hate to see what worse looks like," the older boy joked weakly, "That looked pretty bad to me and I've heard their venom is nasty."

Harry shrugged, "Basilisk is worse believe me." Cedric didn't know how to respond to that statement and silence fell as the two boy's gazes turned to the cup sitting innocuously in the centre of the clearing. It was obvious that the acromantula had been the last line of defence. The silence stretched for several beats before Harry finally spoke. "You take it."

Cedric's head whipped around to stare at him in shock, "What?" he managed.

Harry shrugged, "You take it," he repeated, "I'm not supposed to be in this tournament anyway and I've no hope of winning any race like this." He waved one hand at his bandaged side, whilst the wound was deadly it was certainly painful and it would hamper his movement. He waited for the older boy to walk forward but Cedric was already shaking his head.

"No," he said with quiet conviction, "You should take it. If it hadn't been for your actions earlier I wouldn't be standing here now and I'd have never got past that acromantula if you hadn't wounded it."

Harry sighed loudly, frustration beginning to well up inside him, "I'm not even a proper Champion," he burst out, "You've helped me too, I wouldn't have been able to get past that wretched spider on my own either so just call it even and take the damned trophy."

"You helped me in the maze and you told me about the dragon," The Hufflepuff said firmly, "It's yours."

Harry was about to retort when an idea struck him, "Together," he said quietly and Cedric's head whipped round to stare at him, "We'll take it together." A slow smile spread across the older boy's face as he nodded,

"Together," he agreed softly. Harry smiled at him, although it looked a bit more like a grimace as they made their way over to the cup and reached out a hand each. "One, two, three, NOW!" Cedric all but yelled the last word and as Harry's fingers touched the metal he felt the telltale hook of a portkey behind his naval as the world spun away into blackness.

* * *

Harry fell forward with a thud, his hands scrabbling for purchase on the rough ground. He'd never been good with portkeys and he winced as he straightened up, the rough landing having pulled on his still bleeding wounds. The only thing he was glad of was that his small lantern appeared to have made it through unscathed and it was still casting a flickering light over their surroundings.

His wand was in his hand before he could even think. He didn't know why but he felt extraordinarily exposed out here and something about this place made his skin crawl and as his gaze roved slowly over the broken graves and the lumps that might have once been angels but were now battered and broken with age he couldn't stop himself from wondering what was out there in the shadows, just beyond the reach of his faint light.

There was a crack of twig and Harry spun round, Cedric beside him, the older boy's eyes wide and frightened, the harsh rasp of their discordant breathing the only sound in the air. A shape was dragging itself out of the shadows and Harry heard a high thin voice speak.

"Kill the spare."

Harry stood frozen as the figure raised his arm and a blast of emerald death sped straight out of it. Cedric didn't move, too shocked and scared to run as the curse flew at him. It was only when the curse was a finger's breadth away from the older boy that Harry managed to act.

He flung himself sideways colliding with the older boy and sending them crashing to the ground. He couldn't tell whether Cedric had been hit or not and he had no time to think as the figure raised his wand again, the words of the death curse on his lips. Harry knew he was exposed and far too vulnerable here. Praying it was the right thing to do, he pushed himself away from Cedric, a raw throated yell erupting from his throat as he tried desperately to attract the figure's attention away from the prone figure of the Hufflepuff lying helpless on the ground.

It worked as the figure spun round, their wand already trained on Harry. He didn't wait for the figure to cast, diving behind a tombstone and rolling to break his fall. But the movement tore the gashes in his side open and he stiffened slightly, fighting with his now uncooperative limbs to pull himself to his feet and to evade the curse again. But the moment of hesitation was costly as a beam of red light slammed into his unprotected back and he slumped to the ground, his vision and mind black.

He came to with a gasp of pain. Ropes were fastened cruelly across his body, holding him sharply against the decaying stone of an ancient gravestone. He bit his lip hard as he felt a trail of pure agony stretch across his midsection where the bonds pressed against the fresh wounds. He pushed the agony as far away as he was able, he was not going to sit here helpless and at the mercy of his injury.

The figure appeared out of the mist and Harry growled low in his throat as he recognised him, "Wormtail," he hissed at the cowardly Marauder and he saw the man flinch backwards, obviously not expecting Harry to be conscious already. But in the next second Harry heard a voice he had hoped to never hear again in his life.

"It is nearly time Wormtail," The hissing sibilant voice echoed from what Harry had first assumed to be nothing more than a bundle of cloth but he realised with mounting horror that contained within the filthy bundle of cloth a small creature was stirring. It was a grotesque parody of a baby, and with an expression on its face no child should ever have, a mixture of bloodlust, savage glee and a gloating exultation. He knew what it was, he hadn't even needed the confirmation that the voice had provided and his entire being shied away from the abomination.

"Y-yes Master," Wormtail stuttered. A sudden stream of flame shot from his wand and the flickering glow of the flames illuminated the mist, casting gruesome shadows throughout the graveyard. Harry felt fear slip down his spine as he saw for the first time the cauldron that stood prominently between the headstones. Somewhere deep in the pit of his stomach he knew what he was about to watch but unlike the confrontation with Quirrel he was completely helpless unable to do nothing but watch as Wormtail approached the cauldron his hands trembling and dropped the creature, he couldn't call it a child, into the bubbling potion.

He had a sudden frantic wish that it would drown, that the abomination in that cauldron would never rise but even as he wished it, he knew it was hopeless.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given you will renew your son,"

The bone splashed into the cauldron and Harry could feel the magic rising in the small hollow, beating with the irregular pulse of a failing heart.

There was a flash of a knife blade and Harry bit back a cry as a jagged cut opened along his arm, the blood flowing freely onto the knife.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken you will resurrect your foe."

The beat grew stronger, the magic pulsing but Harry could feel the threat and the pain in the beat. This magic was Dark, a ritual that should never have seen the light of day. But as the beat swelled Pettigrew's voice faltered with the final step,

"F-flesh of the s-servant, w-w-willingly given you with revive your master," The blade glinted in the firelight and with one terrible realisation Harry knew what was going to happen before it did. The blade came down and there was an ear-splitting cry as Pettigrew's hand fell with a splash to the cauldron.

The magic roared, surging through him and Harry couldn't help but cry out as it tugged on him and his scar split open, agony shooting through his forehead. But even as he gritted his teeth and stared determinedly through the pain, a tall spectral figure rose out of the cauldron and stepped lightly onto the ground.

Lord Voldemort had risen.

* * *

And there we are. I am well aware it has been a long time and I apologise. In my defence I will say - a week in Sweden with no internet connection, a show the last two weeks and A Levels (NEWT's and the nastily exhausting bit definitely applies!). I hope this shows this is not abandoned but due to the reasons mentioned above and primarily the A levels updates will be slow until the 10th of June, so expect the next in around four weeks time, and an update to AGB in about two.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please review!


	37. A Dark Lord Rising

AN Disclaimer Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling I own nothing. This is fanfiction, I make no money out of this whatsoever. Now that's out of the way...

**Chapter 36 – A Dark Lord Rising**

Sirius had been watching the task on tenterhooks. It never got any easier watching his child risk his life, every parental instinct he had was screaming at him to run down to the maze, find his son and pull him to safety but with the iron will he had acquired in Azkaban and that one year on the run he forced himself to stay in the stands, his heart thudding painfully and his knuckles white where they gripped the railing.

A monitoring spell had been cast on every champion before they entered the maze, and each champion had a large screen dedicated to them where live images of what was occurring in the maze were being projected. Sirius's eyes had been glued to Harry's screen, seeing everything from a distance was hard enough but watching it from Harry's viewpoint make everything worse. He could see precisely what his child was facing, see every hit that almost got him, see precisely how close he came to death.

But Harry was almost there, glancing down at the maze revealed both he and Cedric were almost at the cup and soon it would be over. Sirius tried to slow his racing heart, it wouldn't be more than a few minutes before Harry was out of the maze, it was almost over and then his son would be safe.

The Acromantula came out of nowhere.

One second Harry had been jogging towards the cup and the next minute he was fighting for his life. It happened so quickly, there was a blaze of spell fire and then his child was hanging in the acromantula's pincers.

Sirius didn't hear the roar of pain and fury that erupted from his throat, he didn't see the shocked and fearful faces of the crowd surrounding him as his entire being was focussed on one thing and one thing only. His child was hurt, injured and he had to help him. He had lost so much and he refused to lose his child too. Vice like hands clamped down on his upper arms and he struggled desperately, trying to free himself to reach his child. But he was no match for the strength of the werewolf.

Enraged he whirled around, "Let me go Moony!"

Remus hung on grimly, "No Padfoot," he said firmly, "If you go down there you'll put yourself in danger, and Harry could lose his father. Don't make him lose another parent."

Sirius turned anguished eyes out onto the field, automatically searching for Harry's figure. "I can't lose him Moony," he admitted in a voice that was barely above a whisper, and with that thought his struggles redoubled and he strained against the hands holding him back. "Let me go!"

To his utter surprise he felt the hands holding him release but as he whipped round to face the maze he saw why. Harry was no longer in the grip of the spider's pincers, rather he was sitting, shaking somewhat with what appeared to be a bandage around his middle but he was there, whole, alive, breathing.

Sirius sat down suddenly, relief coursing through his body. Harry was alive, he was safe and all he had to do was reach the cup. He let out a shaky breath, then another, then another, trying to calm his racing heart. He would not be satisfied until he had his son back in his arms where he belonged, and he had had Poppy look at the injury the spider had dealt him but that reality was only getting closer.

He let out an explosive breath as he saw Harry touch the cup and vanish with the usual sign of a portkey. His eyes immediately flicked down to the ground in front of the maze but nothing and nobody appeared. Anxiety rose up in him, thick and cloying. Portkeys weren't supposed to take this long, Harry and Cedric should have appeared before now.

Fear churned in his belly as he lurched to his feat, his eyes scanning the grounds and the stands, frantically looking for anywhere his son might have been brought by the portkey. All around him he could hear mutterings as slowly the watching crowds began to realise that something had gone awfully, horribly wrong. Sirius's feet carried him almost mechanically to the part of the stand where the judges and the ministry representatives sat, barely aware of the hurried and worried footsteps that were following him.

He burst into the Judge's box, "What's happening?" he demanded roughly, the instant he saw Dumbledore.

"Sirius m'boy, I'm afraid..."

"Don't 'm'boy' me Dumbledore," Sirius snapped back, a flash of ambient magic wresting away from his control for just a second, punctuating his words with an emphasis nobody in the box could miss, "Tell me what has happened to my son!"

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. Sirius looked from one fact to another, rage, fury and fear rising up in him as he realised exactly what that silence meant.

"You don't know do you?" The question appeared innocuous on the surface but everyone in the box flinched at the threat, and the accusation in the words. "You are just sitting her while _my son _is Merlin knows where, facing Merlin knows what along with Cedric Diggory and not a single finger is being lifted to help find them, or where they have gone!"

His voice fell ringing into the silence, even as his magic rose, writhing and lashing as it sensed its master's anger and fear but as helpless as Sirius to find Harry and bring him safely back.

A thought came to him and whirled on the Auror standing guard at the entrance to the box, "You there!" The man jumped and instantly turned his attention onto Sirius, "You can track portkey signatures can't you?"

"Yes Sir!" The man replied promptly.

Sirius didn't stop to think that he couldn't technically give this man orders, didn't stop to consider the fact that it should have been Dumbledore and the Minister giving these orders in the first place and not him, his whole body and mind were absorbed with the awful knowledge, Harry is missing, in danger and there was nothing he could do to help him.

"Then what are you waiting for? Track that damn portkey!" Without another word the Auror turned and broke into a run in the direction of the maze, calling out to his comrades as he did so but Sirius had already moved onto the next thing. He turned to Moony, ignoring the others seated in the box, if they weren't going to help him find Harry they were worse than enemies in his eyes but he couldn't spare the energy to deal with them now, he had to help Harry, everything else could wait until he had his child safe in his arms again, and only then would he hunt down the bastard that had done this and make him pay dearly for every hair on his child's head that had been harmed.

A raw throated yell broke the silence suddenly and Sirius glanced up in confusion for his eyes to meet one of the screens that had been suspended over the stands to allow the audience to see precisely what was going on in the maze. The specialist monitoring charm had been cast on each of the champions and it provided a video feed and a weak audio link to the screens. It was not enough to pick up any of the details of speech or the specific spells that were used but screams and similar were easily able to be picked up.

In his worry and fear Sirius hadn't looked at the screens, he had just presumed that they would have gone black when Harry and Cedric had left the maze but he realised suddenly they were still broadcasting, the only reason that nobody had realised that they were working before was that they appeared to have been taken somewhere dark and he was too preoccupied with his fear and worry to look.

But as he recognised the figure on screen he suddenly knew that he had far more to fear and the chances of his son getting out of this alive had just slipped from slim to virtually non-existent.

* * *

Harry forced himself to calm his breathing, the longer he could stay out of Voldemort's awareness the longer he had to plan and try to do something, anything to help him escape. He could still feel the lingering touch of the dark magic, hear the faint echo of the heartbeat in his ears, feel the pain where the magic had ripped through him but that effect was slowly receding, and the pain was fading away, leaving the throbbing pain of the cuts in his side and the slight burn of Acromantula venom in his bloodstream and his scar, which had flared up in response to the touch of the same magic that had originally made it a horcrux, had died down, becoming nothing more than a scar.

His attention was ripped from his internal musings when Voldemort spoke.

"Now we shall see," he hissed, his voice soft and sibilant but somehow the more menacing for it, "See how many are still loyal, how many will return when their marks burn,"

"Wormtail," he snapped suddenly, and Harry's attention instantly fixed on the curled form of the one-time Marauder. Disgust, hatred and pity warred within him as he stared at him, Peter was a pathetic figure, cradling his handless arm to his chest whilst boulder tears flooded down his cheeks. Despite himself Harry couldn't help but pity him, what did it take to reduce a grown man to this? But at the same time he couldn't help but feel it was nothing more than the rat deserved. Was it worth it he thought suddenly, was selling out my parents and betraying their trust worth this? The vicious part of him took great pleasure in knowing the answer was certainly no.

The man looked up at his master's voice, his entire being quivering with fear but Voldemort paid no heed, "Your arm Wormtail,"

A look of complete shock and hope blossomed across the man's pointed features and he held up his trembling stump towards his master but Voldemort merely laughed, knocking his servant's handless arm aside with a contemptuous blow, "Other arm you fool!"

Harry could see the man bite back a cry as he raised his single good arm towards the creature, Harry was loath to call Voldemort a man. With one single movement he jerked up Pettigrew's threadbare sleeve, exposing the glowing snakes-head of the dark mark to the sky, and pressed down on it.

Wormtail screamed and Voldemort dropped his servant almost idly, red eyes already searching the surrounding, waiting for his servants to return to his side.

The first tell-tale pop of an apparition shattered the waiting silence, and almost instantly it was followed by another and another, as masked men, clad in flowing black robes hurried to their master's side once again.

Harry tuned out all of Voldemort's speech as the man roved the gathered Death Eaters, anger and rage beginning to pulse through him. These men had murdered, raped, tortured and then lied about it and were allowed to walk free, but now the instant they had heard their master call they were back, ready to kill, torture and maim, pulling yet more families apart and creating more orphans.

His rage grew, lashing out as he realised that it was not only Voldemort that had been responsible for his parent's deaths but everyone here was in some way culpable. Without his followers Voldemort was just a man, an awful, evil and powerful one true but still a man. It was his followers that had allowed him to gain so much control, to make a nation cower in fear at his feet and that had eventually led to him murder the parents of a child, and to turn his wand on the child attempting to remove a prophesied threat.

Magic grew thick in the air. The ambient magic in the graveyard, and the magic that had bled into the surroundings from the ritual rose up as Harry's rage and anger grew. A storm was building, feeding off Harry's anger and fear, he could feel it tingling against his skin, hanging heavy in the air as it swirled around him, growing in potency and power.

Harry wasn't controlling it, but at the same time he was. With his anger burning through his veins, the magic rose around him, seeking for those who had riled its master so and for the first time he understood why Sirius had told him that people feared this, feared the magic that the Black's wielded. He could feel the power thrumming around him, and he knew that if he could control it, control everything his anger had summoned he could do anything he willed but there was too much magic, more than he had ever felt or summoned.

The magic was wild, he knew that and he could feel it. He gritted his teeth, forcing his will on the magic that had risen at his call. He could use the magic, it could get him out of here and back to Hogwarts but he couldn't let it go free, not unless he wished the destruction of everything in the surrounding mile radius. He couldn't care less about the death eaters but he knew this was a muggle graveyard, so there were muggles in the area and he would not be responsible for the deaths of innocents!

Slowly he yanked the magic back to him. It still rose up in the air, cloaking him like a shroud but he knew it would not harm him, the magic was his to command and he was going to leave this graveyard alive, Voldemort and his Death Eaters be damned!

"Cut the ropes," he murmured, plucking at two tendrils of magic and sending them flowing down but a jarring laughter echoed around the graves and Harry glanced up, his body tensing automatically.

All the Death Eaters' heads were turned in his direction and Harry knew that he had taken too long trying to control the magic, even as he realised that the circle had extended and he was surrounded on all sides. He was going to have to fight his way free. He pulled the magic to him, automatically tensing, ready to fight, he was not going to sit here helpless while they killed him.

Voldemort's silky voice broke into his thoughts, "I'm sure you all recognise my guest," A ripple of laughter, harsh and cruel went round the gathering, "Harry Potter has become the distinguished guest at my rebirth. I'm sure you all know him, The-Boy-Who-Lived." Then his voice changed, losing its silky, almost amused note and taking on a hint of something much darker.

"You know of course, that they have called this boy my downfall? You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body I tried to kill him. It was to be my greatest triumph, to kill the one that could pose a threat but I in my glory I overlooked the mother, the common mudblood mother that died in an attempt to save him – and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen... I could not touch the boy. This is old magic, I should have remembered it. I was foolish to overlook it...but no matter. I can touch him now."

Voldemort leaned forward, bone white fingers reaching for Harry's face. In another world and another life it could have almost been called affectionate but Harry knew that affection, care and love were emotions Voldemort was incapable of feeling and he was not going to sully himself by allowing the bastard that had murdered his parents to touch him.

He twisted his head away as far as he could, striving to avoid the grasping fingers even as he lashed out with the ambient magic. "Drive him back," he willed silently, his face taught with concentration.

Voldemort's fingers were mere inches from his cheek when the wave of pure magic slammed into him. He straightened abruptly, red eyes focussed and sharp, not waving as he stared at Harry. Behind him a ripple of shock ran through the ranks of the Death Eaters even as the first of their number caught the edges of the deflected magic. But Voldemort paid no heed to his followers, his eyes were fixed on Harry and they contained an almost predatory gleam.

"Ambient magic," the man mused quietly "The control of the magic in everything and a most rare gift, it would be such a shame to waste it, such a shame to waste such glorious potential."

The red eyes spun so they were boring straight into Harry's own. "Such a gift would be highly valuable among the ranks of my servants. If you joined me you would be highly favoured, I can offer you riches and power beyond your wildest dreams. You would find a true family in the ranks of my Death Eaters, indeed I could see you rising to the position of my heir, you would have whatever you desired. Will you not join the cause?"

A colourless tongue licked over white lips and the man leaned forward, anticipating Harry's reply. Harry let him get closer, he could have used the magic once again but that felt too easy, as if Voldemort ever thought he'd willingly join him when he had killed his parents, he needed something physical to convey the contempt and outrage that the offer inspired in him.

Voldemort's face was mere inches from his own when he spoke.

"Go to hell Tom."

And just as Voldemort's eyes started to widen in shock Harry spat straight into his enemy's face.

There was a moment of pure, utter silence.

Voldemort had been feared by the entire magical world, the people hadn't even attempted to fight back and even now, fifteen years after he had supposedly fallen they were still too scared to mention his name, almost believing that to say it would bring the death eaters swooping down on them. Towards the end of the last war they had been virtually unopposed, few even dared to raise their wands against them and here a child had dared not only to refuse the Dark Lord's offer and a high offer but to reject him in that manner.

With a single, slow, deliberate movement Voldemort raised a colourless hand and wiped the saliva from his face. "You dare refuse me?" He asked, his voice silky and deadly, "I Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard to walk this earth?"

In reply Harry spat in his face one more.

"Such insolence," Voldemort murmured, "Children should learn to respect their betters. It seems it is down to me to teach you. Crucio!"

Harry had one frantic moment of thought as the curse sped towards him. He lashed out with the ambient magic, willing the magic back but the curse flew towards him, unstoppable. The instant before it hit Harry bit down hard on his tongue, he'd be damned if he let Voldemort hear him scream.

Pain. Nothing but excruciating pain. Every nerve ending in his body was on fire, his blood boiled in his veins as he was stabbed by a thousand, thousand knives. He wanted nothing more to scream, to cry, to beg them to kill him but he bit his tongue harder and held on.

And then it was over. He drooped against the ropes that held him in place, his breathing erratic as he tasted the bitter tang of blood. He couldn't prevent the shudders that racked through his body, the natural response to the torture he had just endured, and the fire in his side where a fresh wave of blood flooded out the wounds but in a move of absolute defiance he raised his head, looked Voldemort dead in the eye and smiled. It was mocking and taunting, almost daring him to cast it again

There was a twisted smile on his enemy's face but deep in the man's red eyes, behind the almost unholy pleasure and contempt for every living thing Harry could see the barest hint of respect and doubt lurking in the depths of his eyes. Voldemort spoke the incantation a second time and Harry braced himself, prepared for the pain even as he clamped his lips shut.

It was harder this time. Perhaps knowing what was to come had made it worse but Harry only just managed to hold on, he had been about to give in the moment the curse had been removed. He doubled over panting, his limbs shaking and he knew he couldn't withstand another blast, but he gritted his teeth and raised his head once more, to smirk at his enemy.

The Death Eaters were becoming unsettled. Harry could see it in their posture, in the glances they exchanged when they knew their Lord was not looking. His defiance had confused, worried and unnerved them. How could a child, a mere boy stand against the Dark Lord, endure his curses and then smile? Doubts were rising, had their Lord been resurrected with his powers intact, were they still following the Lord who had made them powerful or did he possess but a ghost of his former power?

Voldemort could see it too, he ruled by fear and he needed to make an example of the boy, only then could he prove that he was still the Dark Lord that nobody could stand against. A slow, cruel smirk spread across his face. "That hurt didn't it Harry," he said, his sibilant voice mocking, "You wouldn't want me to do it again would you?"

Harry just gritted his teeth, refusing to answer even as he blanked out the Death Eater's laughter, glaring at his enemy. "Answer me! Imperio!"

The too familiar mist settled across his thoughts, he was drifted languidly in the blankness and it was peaceful here, away from the troubles, the war, the pain. A voice floated across his thoughts, _just answer no, just answer no._ Harry opened his mouth, it would be so easy to answer no, why would he want to resist the voice, it contained the promise of peace and it was completely reasonable.

But a small voice started up in the back of his mind, 'Why?' it asked, 'why should I?'. The first voice responded, _just answer no, just answer no, _but the second voice was becoming stronger, more powerful. "No I don't think I will, thank you very much." The second voice was becoming louder, pushing down the first, the whisperings were becoming easier to ignore and with a sudden rush Harry snapped back into control. "I WON'T!"

The Death Eaters were no longer laughing and any trace of amusement had been wiped clean off Voldemort's face. "You won't," he repeated slowly, each syllable he uttered promising pain. Harry didn't dignify the question with a response. He was tied up to the grave, he was surrounded by Death Eaters and he was facing down Voldemort himself and after the crucios the control he was exerting over the ambient magic was shaky at best, he could hold it back but he knew if he tried to command it he would lose control.

The torture curse ripped through him a third time as this time he could not suppress the screams that tore their way out of his throat. He didn't know how long it had been before the curse was released and he slumped forward but this time there were no ropes impeding his movement and he fell face first, gasping on the cold grass.

Harry knew he had no more than a split second to react. Ignoring the trembling in his limbs and the pain in his side he forced himself to his feet, a growled command to the ambient magic sending his wand flying back into his hand, even as he spoke the incantation for the strongest shield he was able to cast. The disk of magic shimmered into place just in time as half a dozen spells impacted almost at the same time, and he was under no delusions that the curses hadn't been anything but dark in origin and designed to cause as much pain as physically possible.

Another wave impacted into his shield, and the magic wavered, even as he heard Voldemort's voice cut through the night air. "Hold your fire fools, the boy is mine!"

The spells instantly stopped coming, no Death Eater was willing to disobey their master, whether he had been weakened by the ritual or not, and particular when he was in such a fell mood. At their core the Death Eaters were slytherins and they valued self-preservation above all else, to stand against their master now would mean instant death.

Harry let his shield fall, aware it had only just stood up to the spells the Death Eaters had cast and he knew Voldemort had to have far more knowledge and power than his servants and he knew that his shields were not strong enough to withstand an attack of that magnitude, his best defence now was to keep moving, and hope he landed a lucky shot, or that he could distract Voldemort for long enough for help to arrive although he knew that hope was faint.

A sudden idea came to him and he cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. Completely deliberately he allowed his magic to well up inside him, calling out the ambient magic, pulling it towards him. He was calling more than he could handle and he knew that, but he could also remember what had happened to Sirius when the magic had got out of control, the only difference here was that he had no conpunction about hurting any one of the bastards that had been, even in a small way, responsible for his parent's deaths.

But the magic took time and concentration to call, and he knew that he had to stay alive for long enough to blast a large enough hole in the death eater ranks to get back to the portkey that had brought him here, and with that thought in mind he raised his head to look Voldemort in the eye an expression of absolute defiance on his face, his wand up and ready to cast.

Voldemort's low laugh had not been the reaction he had been expecting and a shiver worked its way down his spine as he tensed, his body instinctively preparing to dive out the way of the crucio he was sure was about to be sent his way.

"You have fought well tonight Harry Potter, and Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Throw down your wand and I will ensure your death is quick and painless."

Harry's reply tore itself from his throat, "Never!"

Voldemort's smile was cold and mocking, "Never Potter? Well I am sure I can arrange that your death is most painful," His voice twisted on the last word, almost caressing it. Harry gritted his teeth, before deciding that offence was the best defence, and he was better striking now while Voldemort was not expecting it rather than waiting until he was ready, and it would buy him the time he needed even as the ambient magic was still growing steadily in the background.

"Stupefy!" The red curse streaked across the graveyard, and Harry saw Voldemort's eyes widen in surprise for a second before a flick of his wand sent the spell careening off into the ranks of the Death Eaters.

The expression on Voldemort's face was icy and Harry knew instantly that there would be no more taunts, no more playing. This duel would only end when one of them was either dead or had managed to escape.

"Very well," Voldemort murmured, his voice still managing to carry to every corner of the graveyard, menace underlying every syllable, "To the death Harry Potter."

"To the death," Harry echoed.

He dived out the way of the first crucio a second later, taking shelter behind a gravestone as it absorbed the curse, shattering into a million different pieces as it did so. Harry didn't stay still, he was already rolling, spinning and ducking as he tried to avoid the maelstrom of spells that were being flung at him. He didn't recognise even half of them but he knew that any one of them had the potential to kill him and if he stayed still he was going to be hit.

He was gasping for breath, but he didn't stop moving even for a second, any mistake or hesitation could cost him his life and he had no intention of dying here, not when he had a father to return to. With that thought in mind he began firing some of his own curses back at the Dark Lord. He wasn't aiming precisely and he knew that some missed their targets by a mile but Voldemort's rate of fire had slowed slightly as he now expended effort trying to keep his own back protected.

A streak of white hot pain flared across his cheek and instinctively Harry's hand rose to the wound as his concentration faltered for the briefest of seconds, but that brief second was enough. Another spell hit him and he feel to his knees, his cheek burning in pain, his side flaring in agony in response to his movements, his body trapped under the body bind.

Voldemort strode forward, his face twisted into a mocking smile of victory, "And here it ends," he murmured, "The great Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, lying alone, defeated by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged." His mouth stretched into a cruel smirk, "Say goodbye Harry Potter, you will be with you dear mudblood mother soon. Any last words?"

He raised his wand, the glowing green of the killing curse already growing on its tip. Harry stared defiantly into the face of his enemy, he was not going to give the man the pleasure of seeing him beg.

"And so it ends," Voldemort said quietly, "Alone, friendless and at my mercy. Goodbye Harry Potter." The first syllable of the killing curse rose on his lips but he never got to finish the spell. The ambient magic which had been slowly building during their confrontation had finally reached boiling point. With a gasp Harry let it go and a wave of pure magic lashed out.

Voldemort's red eyes widened for a spilt second, an expression of incredulity on his features as the wave of magic slammed into him, knocking him to the ground, even as the wave threw the nearest death eaters to the ground.

Harry didn't stop to think, grabbing his wand he lurched to his feet, ignoring the pain in his side and cheek as he ran. The wave of magic had given him the moment he needed but he knew it wouldn't stop any of them for long. Already he could hear Voldemort's enraged shouts and he could hear the cry of curses that sped in his direction. He fired blindly over his shoulder and he thought he heard a thud, but they were getting closer, his lead wouldn't last long.

There was fire in his veins, the exertion forcing the venom through his system far faster, and his side was in agony. The running and the blood lose and the crucios had all taken their toll. He was nearly there, they were gaining on him, he wouldn't quite make it. In desperation he cried out "Accio Cup," and he lunged forward, his hand clutching onto Cedric's wrist, even as he caught the cup in his free hand with reflexes borne of his Quiddich training.

There was an awful pause, and for a single frantic moment Harry thought the portkey had only been one way but just as the Death Eaters were about to reach him he felt the tell-tale jerk behind his naval and he was spinning away onto the blankness, his fingers still clinging desperately to Cedric's wrist, and then with a single thump he landed on the cool grass.

* * *

A wave of sound hit him instantly and he pushed himself to his feet, his wand up, ready to face the new threat if need be, standing over the body of his fellow champion. The light here was bright, too bright after the darkness of the graveyard and he couldn't see. He blinked furiously, trying to ignore the trembling in his arm, he hadn't come this far only to die now.

There was the sound of running footsteps and he instantly swivelled to face the new threat, but in the next second he found himself gathered up in a pair of arms he would recognise anywhere.

"Harry, thank God, thank God." Sirius's voice was scratchy and hoarse and Harry could tell he had been crying. He didn't protest as Sirius pulled him deeper into the embrace, pressing him tightly against his chest.

"Dad," he murmured brokenly into the man's shoulder, relief and disbelief warring in his tone. Relief that he was here, that Sirius was here, that he had survived but at the same time the disbelief that he had made it out, that he was really away from that graveyard. He had been so sure Voldemort was going to kill him. He suddenly realised, almost detachedly that he was trembling. There was a sound in the back of his throat, a mixture of a sob and a gasp of relief and in response he felt Sirius's hand rub his back soothingly.

"Shh pup, I'm here, it's alright, you're safe." His father's voice wobbled and he knew that Sirius had been going mad with worry ever since he had vanished but nevertheless Harry felt himself relax at the assurance. But he couldn't stop the fear that was growing in him now he was away from the graveyard and could realise what had happened, what would happen now.

"He's back," he whispered, his voice trembling.

"I know," Sirius's reply was just as soft but Harry could hear the fear and pain in his voice.

"Wormtail was there...there was a ritual...ambient magic...cruico...couldn't stop it...it hurt...Cedric, he fell..." He was rambling, his thoughts fighting in his head and it was too confusing, he didn't know what to think, what to do. A new voice broke into his awareness halting the words that were spilling out of him with no sense or pattern.

"He's alive Harry," It was Professor Lupin's voice, "He was unconscious but Poppy thinks he'll make a full recovery."

Harry just blinked, absorbing the news but not really understanding it as he buried himself deeper into the comfort and security of his father's embrace. It was too much, the fight, the fear, the realisations he'd made, the pain that lingered from the crucios and the pain of his injuries, the betrayal, the hatred, nearly losing his life, nearly losing Cedric's, Voldemort, the Death Eaters, the task. He couldn't cope.

The tears came then, the sobs tearing themselves out of his throat as he buried his face in his father's chest, hiding the tears that were streaking down his cheeks, even as his whole body shook. He could hear words being spoken above him, reassurances and whispered conversations but they didn't make sense, didn't matter. The adrenalin was wearing off and the pain of his injuries was beginning to make itself known once more.

The tears were not stopping, they poured down his face, full of his pain and fear as he clung onto his father, too far gone to be aware of the crowds surrounding them, of the noise, the screams and shouts, of the arguments and the pain. He was aware only of the arms holding him up, the ground beneath his feet and the rough material his face was pressed against as the tears continued to stream down his cheeks.

The arms around him shifted and Harry clung on tighter, refusing to let go. "Come on pup," he heard Sirius say quietly, "Let's get you to the Hospital Wing." His father started walking slowly, his arms still supporting Harry, as the teen took a few steps forward. His legs felt like a mixture of lead and jelly and he stumbled forward, his legs shaking madly as they tried to support his weight, his tears blinding him. He heard voices murmur something about him then suddenly he felt the ground disappear from under him as he was lifted up.

He didn't have to look to know that Sirius was carrying him, and although he knew he should be embarrassed that the whole school was watching he didn't care, all he wanted was to be told that it was a nightmare, a nightmare that was over and that he was safe now. He rested his head on Sirius's shoulder, tears still marking his face, and tremors still wracking his body and let his eyes drift shut. He wanted to forget, to leave behind all the pain and fear, he wanted it to be over but at the same time he feared sleep, feared the nightmares that would lurk, haunting his mind.

* * *

Sirius was almost running as he headed towards the infirmary, his child clutched tightly in his arms. There were no words to describe the agony of watching his child fight for his life against the most evil madman to stalk this planet, to watch him be tortured, no words for those few awful seconds where there had seemed to be no hope and he was sure he was about to lose him.

They had been doing everything they could to try and reach them but the magic in the maze had scattered the portkey trail rendering it almost impossible to follow, and whilst they had been trying to track the spell supplying the images the arithmancy had been unwieldy and difficult to unravel, and without the spell's composition they were unable to track it to its target. The details of the graveyard had not provided an accurate enough image for apparition either, and you were not able to apparate to a person. He had been sitting there, completely helpless, powerless to act to save the child who was the most precious thing in his world.

He pushed those thoughts away angrily, Harry was here, in his arms and he was safe. His heart ached as he looked at the injuries, and felt the tremors caused by cruciatus exposure, even as rage swelled in him, that somebody had dared hurt his son, had caused him pain. Harry whimpered slightly as he started up the stairs, the movement jogging the wound in his side, and instantly the rage vanished as overwhelming concern swamped him. It will be alright, Poppy will heal him, he mentally chanted as he tore through the corridors as fast as he was able without hurting his child further.

A rhythmic thumping caught his attention as he turned slightly, assessing whether this was a new threat, and relaxed as the grizzled face of the ex-Auror came into view. He didn't slow his pace, intent on getting Harry medical treatment as soon as possible but he allowed the man to draw alongside, comforted in the knowledge there was another wizard here to protect Harry if the need arose.

He was completely unprepared when the petrification spell struck him from behind. His mind had barely had time to comprehend what had happened before the anger rose up in him, thick and strong. His child had been hurt and now someone dared to try and hurt him once again, but he couldn't stop the confusion that rose in him, where had the threat come from, and why hadn't he heard Mad Eye respond or fall?

The questions were answered a second later as he saw the mangled face of the auror come into his field of vision, but there was an expression of cruel ecstasy on his face that Sirius knew the old auror would never possess. A wave of fear swept through him as he realised that they were an imposter it they were the one which was the threat but that was almost instantly overridden by the rage and the sure knowledge that he would die before he allowed this bastard to touch Harry.

"The Dark Lord will be so disappointed that you escaped. He had been waiting for it for months, the chance to kill the Boy-Who-Lived." There was an edge of madness to his voice, and a crazed gleam in his eyes that worried Sirius. He was petrified, unable to reach his wand and this bastard was going to hurt his child. But he didn't need a wand to defend himself. Already the ambient magic was rising in the air, whipping around him, as the imposter continued to speak.

"It was I who entered you into the tournament Harry, I was prepared to help you, the Dark Lord needed you alive for the ritual and he would kill you afterwards, then he would return in glory, but you changed that but now I have you here and I will be rewarded when I bring your body back to my master." One trembling hand reached out and the imposter ran a finger down the child's cheek.

"So warm," the man murmured, "Still alive, but I will take great pleasure in extinguishing that life from your worthless body and presenting the cold corpse to my master. I will be exalted above all others..."

The wave of magic that slammed into the imposter was the most powerful wave Sirius had ever unleashed. It broke through the spell, even as it pined the imposter to the wall. He gritted his teeth as he controlled it, his breath coming in gasps as he locked the magic around the man, securing it so that he couldn't escape. The man's eyes were wide with fear and loathing, "My master will come for him," he cried out, "The Dark Lord will come and the boy will die!"

There was not a shred of remorse in Sirius as he shot several stunners, a petrification spell and several sticking charms at the man, fastening him to the wall, as well as conjuring a plaque above him that proclaimed the man to be an imposter. As a final measure he forced the ambient magic to strengthen the charms, preventing them being removed until he did so purposefully. Then satisfied that the spells had put in place were going to hold, he turned his back on the prone man and continued to hurry to the Hospital Wing, he needed to get Harry to Poppy as soon as possible.

* * *

And there's the update! Hope you all enjoyed it and please review!


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